1060 




E^^T STUB MAi:^ STREET, J.0OKl^G^0Kr^JP^l^C^}S7^_S^ePage^ 




WEST SIDE MAIN STREET LOOKING NOBTH. SPRING 1879. See Paye 26. 



general trade only since 1871, as I be 
lieve the terms of relinquishment were 
not fully complete and made practical 
until that time. 

THE SILKIRK SETTLEMENT. 

In 1805, Lord Silkirk, a -visionary but 
knd hearted Scotchman and a mem- 
ber of the H. B. Company, penetrated 
in his wanderings from the company's 
forts on Hudson Bay, aa far as the 
valley of !he Red River. He was so 
charmed with the country that he 
conceived the iiea. of starting colonies 
here. In 1811 he succeeded in obtain- 
ing a grant of land for that purpose, 
from the H. B. Company along this 
river, a d in the Autumn of 1812 be 
reached here via Hudson Bay and 



Lake VVinnipeg with a small party of 
Highland Scotchmen. They at once 
commenced building, but were ttopped 
bv the H. B. Company's competitors, 
the Northwest Company, were driven 
away and obliged to spend the winter 
in tents at Pembina, some 70 miles 
south. The following spring they re- 
turned and after putting in a crop, 
which was maturing finely, in Septem- 
ber w<re again diiven to Pembina, 
where they remaiutd the second win- 
ter, returning again the next spnng. 
Bv September 1814 they numbered 
some two hundred, They l)"»t hou: es 
and called their settlement Kildonan, 
after their old Parish, in ScotLiud. In 
the spring ot 1815, trouble again came 
upon them. Their storehouses W;re 



broken open and robbed; their Gover- 
nor arrested ai:d sent to Montreal; dis- 
satisfaction became so general, that un- 
der the guidance of friendly Indians, 
they started in June of that year for 
Lake Winnipeg, intecdirg to return to 
Scotlaud; but meeting officers of the 
H. B. Company, t^ ey were induced to 
return the following spring, under the 
( special care of t hat company . In 1816 
Lord Silkirk accompanied by more 
emigrants re ached the settlemmt and 
by his presence and prompt action in 
arresting some of the aggressive North- 
west Company's leaders and sending 
them to Montreal, i-> stored the colony 
to peace. The next year he returutd to 
Scotland, but the crofs of that year 
were insutBcient and they were obliged 



to hunt Buffalo to get through the 
winter. Tn 1818 and 1819 their crops 
were badly damaged by grasahoppers 
(their first visitation here) and in the 
winter ot 1819 and 1820, a party was 
obliged to go on snow shoes to the near- 
est settlement, across Minnesota to 
Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi 
river nearly to the north line of Illinois 
a full thousand mUes, for seeds to plant 
the coming spring. They obtained 
three Mackinaw boat loads, and on the 
I5th of April, 1820, started homewards 
up the Mississippi river to the mouth 
of the Minnesota river, just above 
where St. Paul now is, up that river to 
Big Stone Lake, then across a small 
portage to Lake Traverse, the source of 
the Hed River and down that stream, 
reaching Pembina on the 3d of June. 
This was the beginning of the 

COMMERCE WITH THE STATES. 

In the following year, 1821, the two 
great trading Companies amalgamated 
and peace at last came to those hardy 
pioneers. I cannot learn that their 
numbers were much increased by any 
subsequent emigration. A few Swiss 
watchmakers came out in 1821, but by 
1826 they had mostly left for various 
points along the Mississippi Valley, in 
the States. Some opened farms on the 

g resent site of St. Paul and also at Fort 
nelling, (since built at the juncture of 
the Minnesota with the Mississippi 
river) then aa unbroken wild, other 



r) 
settlement not coming in there at all 
until some 20 or 25 years after. The 
settlement along the Red River increas- 
ed slowly, by natural growth, by dis- 
charged and retiring employes of the 
two consolidated companies, the com 
mg in of a few emigrants from the 
States and the settling about them of 
the half breeds. 

In 1851 Gov. Ramsey, who then vi3 
Ited the settlement, found them so 
abundantly supplied with all the pro- 
ducts of their labors, for which they 
had but a very limited market, that he 
reported them on his return to St. Paul 
to be "metaphorically smothering in 
their own fat." So time passed un- 
til the formation of the Canadian Do- 
minion ia 1867, and the measures to ex- 
tinguish the H. B. Company's exclu- 
sive administrative and trading privi- 
leges in 1868, began to turn attention 
to this section. But it was not until- 
1871 or 1872, that emigration began to 
come here to any extent. 

But to resume the historical, I would 
say, that up to the extinguishment of 
theH. B. Company's title, Rupert's 
Land was not a part of Canada, but be- 
longed to the Imperial or English 
Crown, under the H. B. Company. It 
was acquired by Canada in 1870, 
by the arrangements before 
spoEen of; through an agreement 
with the H. B. Company releasing 
♦neir proprietary rights and by Impe- 
rial Legislation in 1868 authorizing the 
same. By the terms previously named 
the bargain between Canada and the 
H. B. Company with the Imperial 
Government, Canada made the cash 
payment and the Imperial Govern- 
ment the necessary legislation to secure 
the H. B. Company's title to the lands 
as agreed, by the approval of the 
Crown. At the time and previous to 
this transfer, there had been a kind of 
local government in existence, organ- 
ized over a smaller portion of Rupert's 
Land than what is now known as 
Manitoba, which was known as the 

COUNCIL OF ASSINEBOIA. 

In 1869 the Government of Canada 
sent Hon. Williim McDougall out to 



m 

govern this country, assisted by a 
Council, but some of the people object- 
ing. Gov. McDougall never entered the 
Province but returned. Subsequently 
in the Cana^iiaa Parliament of 1870, a 
portion of Rupert's Land was erected 
into the Province of Manitoba, with a 
Representative form of Government. 
That year Hon. Adam George Archi- 
bald was sent out as Lieut. Governor 
of the Province of Manitoba and the 
Northwest Territories, being assisted 
in the government of the latter Terri- 
tories by an especial advisory Council, 
nominated for that special purpose by 
the Queen. 

THE DOMINION SENATOBS 

are the Hon. Marc Amable Girard, a 
lawyer, a native of the Province of 
Quebec— born in 1822,came here in 1870, 
has held and very acceptably 
filled many of the Provincial 
and Territorial oflBces, a gedtle- 
man of very genial nature, and 
fine nersonal presence— and Hon. John 
Southerland. Mr. Southerland is 
ative of Manitoba. Like his col- 
league he has held several provincial 
offices, and having been identihed with 
Manitoba from the first, his select- 
ion seems most wise. Both were 



appointed in 1871. 

The members for Manitoba in the 
Dominion House of Commons, are the 
Honorables John C. Schultz, Donald 
A. Smith, Joseph Dubuc and Joseph 
Ryan. The two first were elected 
at the first general election in the 
Province in 1871, and have both been 
twice re-elected. Mr. Ryan has just 
been re elected and Mr. Dubuc, late 
speaker of the Provincial Parliment, 
is serving his first term. Mentally 
they are a strong delegation, a unit in 
advocating the interests of Manitoba 
and the Northwest, and though they 
are small in numbers in comparison 
with the large delegations in that body 
from some of the other Provinces, they 
are untiring workers, and Manitoba's 
influence in the House, is not by any 
means in proportion to the number of 
her representatives. They are men 
not only familiar with the capacities 
and wants of this section, but fully 
comprehend its vast opportunities and 
wonderful future. 

THE LOCAL LEGISLATURE 

originally consisted of two branches. 
The Legislative Assembly (elective) 
of twenty-four members, and the Legis- 
lative Council (nominative) of seven 
members. In 1876 the latter council 
was abolished. In 1872 Gov. Archi- 
bild retired and was succeeded by Hon. 
Alexander Morris (under whose ad- 
ministration the Province became 
thoroughly pacified and most of the 
present seven Indian treaties were 
made, by which the Indian title to 
Manitoba and most of the Northwest 
territory was peaeef uly and satisfact- 
oraly extinguished and the Province 
entered upon its new life and develop- 
ment) who was in December 1877, his 
full term having expired, succeeded by 

HON. LIEUT. COL. JOSEPH EDOUARD 
CAUCHON, 

who was born in the city of Quebec in 
1816. A descendant of one of the old- 
est families of that Province, for many 
years he was an editor of marked 
ability and author of several standard 
works. He has been in continuous 
public life for nearly thirty years and 
was Dominion Minister of Internal 
Revenue and Pi esident of the Queens 
Piivy Council for the Dominion of 



Canada at the time of his appointment. 
His present 

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

was formed in January, 1879. It con- 
sists of Hon. John Norquay, Premier 
and Provincial treasurer, Hon. Joseph 
Royal, Minister of Public Works; Hmi, 
C. P. Brown, Provincial secretary; 
Hon. D. M. Walker, Attorney General 
and Hon. Pierre Delorme, Minister of 
Agriculture. 

HON. MB. NORQUAY, 

the Premier and Provincial treasurer, 
is a native of the Province: 
was educated at St. Johns Col- 
lege, where he took a scholar- 
ship, has been a member of the ex- 
ecutive council, with but a short inter- 
mission, since its formation in 1871, 
having also held the position of mem- 
ber ofthe board of health and board of 
education, also minister of public works 
and board of agriculture. He is a 
quiet, decided man of a naturally 
strong, active mind, which is ever kept 
under control and guided with perfect 
coolneis. His recent elevation to the 
Premiership is a most graceful ac- 
knowledgement on the part ofthe new 
comers to the Province of the integ- 
rity, energy and ability of one of the 
old residents, to the manor born, 

HON. MB. ROYAL, 

Minister of Public Works, was Pro- 
vincial Sseretary and Attorney Gen- 
eral in the late Davis ministry. Mr^ 
Royal is from the Province of 
Quebec, was called to the bar of Lower 
Canada in 1864, and of Manitoba in 1871, 
A.S a lav/yer he has been engaged as 
advocate in many notable and impor- 
tant cases. His university, and partic- 
ularly his legal education, were obtain- 
ed under unusually favorable opportu- 
nities. He was a prominent writer for 
many years on the French Canadian 
newspaper and periodical press, and 
has filled an editorial chair almost un- 
interruptedly since 1857, which has so 
quickened his perceptive faculties- 
naturally great— that he is enabled to 
obtain and retain, that place of high 
esteem among his associates and people 
of the Province, which is always ac- 
corded educated intellect, when guided 
and influenced by that broadness and 
comprehensiveness that enable its pos- 
sessor to overcome life's natural, as 
well as active obstacles and vexations, 
bringing out of the contest a mind, 
"with malice towards none, with 
charity for all." 

HON. MR. BROWN, 

the Provincial secretary, descended 
from an U. E. Loyalists family which 
settled in New Brunswick at the close 
of the Revolutionary War. He came 
to this Province about seven or eight 
years ago, and was member of the 
Provincial Legislative Assembly for 
the past four years. Perhaps no per- 
son is more familiar with the real 
wants of this country than Mr. Brown, 
whose duties before he entered Parlia- 
ment as a Dominion Land Surveyor 
gave him superior advantages in gain- 
ing a perfect knowledge of a country 
in whose development he is now cal- 
led to take so active a part. Before 
entering the ministry, although but a 
young man, he was the author of sev- 
eral important measures, prominent 
among them being a re-division of the 
Province into counties and based 
1 hereon a general municipal law, to 
the carrying out of which, in his new 
sphere he is applying himself most 
energetically. Mr. Brown's standing, 
popularity and enterprise are fully re- 
cognized, he being the only uinister 




WEST SIDE MAIN STEEET LOOKING SOUTH. SPRINGil879. Seepage 




EAST SIDE MAIN STREET LOOKING SOUTH. FALL 1876. 



of his party who was elected by accla- 
mation at the recent general election. 

HON. MR. WALKER, 

the Attorney General, is a native of 
Ontario, came to Manitoba with the 
first R 'd River expedition in 1870, un- 
der the command of Sir Garnet Wool- 
sey. as Lieutenant in ^he first Ontario 
Rifles, was called to the bar of Ontario 
in 1861 and to the bar of Manitoba in 
1871. He was appointed Crown Coun- 
sel for Manitoba in 1875 and conducted 
the Crown business in the Courts of 
the Province from that time until his 
acceptance of office in the present 
government. That first expedition, 
seldom heard of because it was for- 
tunately bloodless, made one of the 
hardest marches in modern times, in 
overcoming all the wild obtacles of 
Bwampe, lakes, rivers and forests in 



the 410 miles between Thunder Bay, 
Lake Superior and Winnipeg. The 
prominent positions in which one finds 
its former members all over the Pro- 
vince, and especially in Winnipeg, 
shows that they have within them the 
stuff that heroes are made of. The ap- 
pnintment of Mr. Walker to one of the 
highest provincial positions, not only 
is an additional proof of this, but must 
be very pleasing to his old time com- 
rades. 

HON. MR. DELORME, 

Miniiter of Agriculture, is a native of 
Manitoba, a gentleman well known 
throughout the Piovince, and the 
largest native farmer in the Red River 
Vall-y. His fine farm and roomy 
hospitable home 16 miles south of 
Winnipeg, are ample proof that this 
important government portfolio is in 



the hands of no theorist, but rather ■ 
one whose whole life and works show 
that he fully understands and appre-- 
dates this great industry which un- 
derlies the prosperity of this Prov- 
ince, espjciallv, when taken in con- 
nection with this fact; that the minis- 
try is in harmony with the present 
Dominion Government. 

THE SPEAKER 

of the present Provincial Parliament, 
J. W. Sifton, Esq., having bjen con- 
nected with the construction of the 
Canadian Pacific Railway from the 
beginning of work thereon, being the 
first contractor to break ground both 
on the Thunder Bay (Lake Superior) 
and Red River ends, will fortunately 
be of great advantage to the present 
Provincial Government, by aiding 
them in j adicious legislation ; by means 



[6] 



of his great practical experience in 
wisely guiding the future railway 
policy of the Province upon which so 
much depends. 

CIVIC ORGANIZATION. 

Immediately upon the extinguish- 
ment of the H. B. Company's title, the 
Canadian government, to eftect a civil 
organization for that part of this im- 
mense area of some 1,000,000 square 
miles lying west from the bound- 
ary of the Province of Ontario, 
and going west along the northern 
boundarv lice of the United States to 
British Columbia, in longitude 120 west 
of Greenwich, thence north to the 
Arctic Ocean, has for the purpose of 
organizing a Dominion governmental 
supervision, been divided into 

THBEB DEPABTMENTS. 

The oldest and smallest of these is the 
Province of Manitoba, the merest frac- 
tion of t Lis great space— only some 14,- 
340 square miles— being about 120 
miles east and west, by lOO miles north 
and south. Then cornea the district 
of 

KEEWATIN, 

which extends from the western boun- 
daries of Ontario, above mentioned, up 
to the eastern boundary of Manitoba 
and along lo the north of it to the one 
hundredth parallel of longitude (west 
of Greenwich) and north to the Arctic. 
This region waa made a district in '76, 
with the present gove) nor of Manitoba 
as ex-offlcio governor. As yet it has 
no located seat of governmtnt, but its 
governmental business is transacted at 
Winnipeg. This is a region of 

XiAKES, FOKBSTS AND MINfBKAI^, 

with but little prairie or table lands. 
All the rest of this great section lying 
west of Keewatin and Manitoba, and 
extending west to the eastern boundary 
of British Columbia, is embraced in 
the 

NORTHWEST TERRITORY, 

in which a government was organized 
in 1876. with Hon. David Laird as 
Lieut. Governor. He, with his coun- 
cil, reside at the new seat of gov- 
ernment at Battleford, which is charm- 
ingly located at the junction of Battle 
River with the north branch of the 
Saskatchewan. Here some twenty 
government buildings are erected 
besides, of course, many buildings be- 
longing to private individuals, stores, 
dwellings, etc. Branches of the differ- 
ent church missionary establishments 
will be established there. Port Pelley 
is the headquarters of the teriitoiial 
mounted police, a very efficient semi- 
military organization, that are sta- 
tioned at different posts along the 
national boundary and through the 
various Indian tribes along the frontier. 
The country embraced in this territory 
may be truthfully called the 

EEGION OF PEEFECTION. 

"With a pure atmosphere, a genial, 
healthful climate of early springtimes 
and soft, hazy autumns; with dry and 
steady winters and light snow falls ; 
with streams and springs of the purest 
water ; with no malaria, because there 
58 nothing to develope it. The earth, 
sky, water and altitude are all conser- 
vatory of health, insuring newcomers, 
from distant lands even, against the 
acclimating sickness attendant upon 
their coming into more southern and 
less perfectly situated sections, while 
heie In this health-giving air — summer 




POST OFFICE AND DOMINION GOVERNMENT SAVINGS BANK. 



or winter— their strength continues and 
improves, from their arrival. 
This great territory is also 

THE LAND OF MAGNIFICENT PKAIBIES 

and great riverp, with fine navigation 
from the eastern almost to the further 
western and northwestern boundaries, 
by the Saskatchewan which with the 
Peace, Athabasca and McKensie, whose 
navigable waters, running through the 
northwest and center to the western 
Arctic, furnish ready routes of transpor- 
tation. Two steamers are now running 
on the Saskatchewan and another one 
isonthe way for the Athabasca. These 
boats of course are but tte pioneers, the 
half-awakening dreams, preceding a 
soon coming, actual fleet that wiU tra- 
verse these rivers. With the already 
finished telegraph line across it, and 
officially located and soon-tobe buUt 
railway, civilization- already chore in 
a measure— will soon enter more large- 
ly, being already supplied with every 
modern means of communication and 
transit into this 

GREAT NATURAL GAKDEN, 

with great forest tracts along its east- 
ern, western and northern borders and 
another great b^dy tnrough almost its 
centre, between the Saskatchewan and 
Athabasca ; while a liberal growth of 
timber skirts the scores of lesser 
streams, with valleys of proportionate 
and even greater beauty and fertility. 
There are 

GREAT COAL FIELDS 

also in this Territory. Explorations 
have shown that north of the 59th par- 
allel there are fully 500,000 square 
miles underlaid by true coal, while on 
the north and south branches of the 
Saskatchfcwan, Battle River, Red, Deer 
and other streams in its middle and 
southern part, are extensive deposits 
of coal in strata of from two and a half 
to twelve feet thick. 

GOLD AND IRON, 

and other mineral deposits of great ex- 
tent and richness, are a'so known to 



exist thei e. The richness of the gold 
fields along the eastern as well as west- 
ern part of the Rocky Mountains, from 
latitude 50 to 55, is well estabiishtd atd 
long known. 

THE INDIAN TITLE, 

or c'alms to all this section, as has leeu 
before mentioned, have all been 
satisfactorily purchased or settled. 
The uniform good faith kept by the 
British and Canadian governments in 
all of their treaties with the Indians 
has been as honorably maintained by 
these forest children, and I have yetto 
learn of the first instance of their ever 
committing any outiage upon peace- 
ably disposed persons. On the con- 
trary, their re cord of kindness and as- 
sistance to suflerirg white men is large 
and instances numerous. These trea- 
ties were made with the Indians in 
this section in 1871, '72, '73, '74, '75 '76, 
and '77, are known as treaties one to 
seven, respectively, and were mostly 
made under Governor Morris. 

CLIMATIC. 

In view of the statemen's already 
made and the facta that follow concern- 
ing this 

GREAT FERTILE BELT 

that comes sweeping down through 
this great section and Province, and 
south into the States, as will be shown 
hereafter, I deem it best that the 
reasons should be given right here, why 
this socall ;d belt shou'.d continue, as 
it already has I ecome— nearly up to 
the boundary line— the great highway 
along which the homes, farms, towns 
and cities will stretch continuously 
across ihe continent; and to further ex- 
plain, what may cause debate or be 
condemned without examination, this 
actual fact wants to be borne in mlcd. 
It is that the great 

MIDDLE BELT OB ZONE 

in which is fLUud most of the intellect, 
and that crowning result of the high- 



est civilizatioa, progress, does not 
follow the 

LINES OF LATITUDE. 

For, starting in Europe, we find it 
between the 45th and 60th paraUel, m 
which is embra'^ed most of France, all 
of England, Ireland, 8cotland,Belgmm, 
Holland, Germany, Denmark, the 
southern part of Sweden and Norway, 
etc. That the same cliniate, in cross- 
ine the Atlantic, drops from the 60th 
degree as a north Une, to-at a. very 
liberal estimate-as low as the 45th in 
America, which line would take in the 
most, if n>t all of Nova Scotia or 
Maine, the same line forming the north 
boundary of New Hampshire, Vermont 
^d New York, while the southern 
limit, would at least go as far south as 
the 35th parallel, which is the northern 
boundary line of North Carolina, and I 
think it should go even to the 30th. 
But these boundaries do not hold good 
from the Atlantic to the valley of the 
Mississippi river even, the north Ime— 
particularly in winter-falling nearly 
south of the lakes. But, after passing 
the great lakes, the same climate rises 
rapidly to the northwest until at the 
Pacific coast it is fully the same as in 
Europe, viz: 45th and 60 .h parallel. 
The cames of these deflections are sim- 
ple and natural, when properly under- 
stood. First the strong Arctic currents 
that flow south along both coasts of 
Greenland, composed of the icy waters 
of that great frigid sea around the 
North Pole, bearing in them those 
mighty masses of ice, called icebergs or 
mountams, down past the coast of Lia- 
brador, and so along until this current 
meets the warm water of the gulf 
stream on the banks of Newfoundland 
—which here turn the waters of that 
tropical stream to the northeast, caus- 
in-' it to pass near to the shores of Ire- 
land and east of Iceland— and so on 
untn its force and warmth are lost m 
the freezing waters of Nova Zembla. 
The waters of this Greenlandic current 
are in turn deflected and thrown to the 
riaht. along the eastern shores of the 
Dominion and the New England 
States of the Union. But those great 
masses of ice do not easily lose their 
momenture, but go on into the Gulf 
stream and across it into mid ocean un- 
til they are crumbled away by the mild 
air and the heavy seas of the Atlantic. 
The European coast has no such Arc- 
tic current, or at least none of such 
magnitude. . ,. 

The Pacific Ocean has no Arctic cur- 
rent, but the great Japanese stream 
sweeping its mighty current, four times 
the size of the Gulf stream north from 
the Equator, past the Chinese and 
Japanese coasts, on out into the Pa cine 
until in its northward course, it reaches 
the curved line of the Aleutian Islands 
that stretch away out from our Bussian 
purchase of Alaska, nearly across to 
the Asiatic coast, oflFKamskatka, causes 
this mighty Oceanic river, with its 
rapid current of four miles per hour 
audits accompanying trade winds, to 
deflect to the east, striking the Pacific 
coast of this continent to the north of 
the 60th paraUel of latitude, while the 
- low altitude and narrower area (from 
east to west) of the ranges of moun- 
tilns allow these 

WAKM TRADE WINDS 

to come over iotj the val'eys of the 
Peace, Athabaska, Saskatchewan and 



[7] 

residents here, that spring comes to 
Manitoba from the northwest, and why 
cool weather in the fall is earlier in that 
Province than in the above named 
valleys. 

The report of the United States 
weather oflaca at Pembina, in the u . S. 
on or near the Canadian and United 
States boundary line, and the Canadian 
weather oflSce at Winnipeg, continued 
through a number of years, show that 
the point of the greatest degree of 
cold in this section of the Northwest, 
is at or near the boundary line; it 
being milder north— even at Winni- 
peg—as well as south from the bound- 
Again, about in a north line from the 
Eastern part of the State of Ohio, or 
Collingwood, Ontario, the cold waters 
of the frozen Arctic Sea come down in- 
to the country through Hudson's Bay 
as far south as latituda 51, while the 
north line of Minnesota is only 49. It 
is from this cause, doubUess, that the 
cold northerly winds of winter cause 
the depression of the thermal line south 
of the great lakes in those months, and 
that the warm 

TKADE WINDS OF THK PACIFIC 

which come down through the river 
valleys heretofore named, do not go 
easterly, near the Atlantic coast, but 
deflect southwardly into the States. 

Once more we find as we go west- 
ward over the present railway from 
Chicago to San Francisco, Cal., that 
there is a gradual rise in the surface of 
the country after passing the Missis- 
sippi river towards the Pacific, until 
in the western part of Nebraska it 
reaches an altitude of 3,800 feet, (a 
point several hundred feet higher than 
the highest point on the Canadian Pa- 
cific Railway). A short distance be- 
yond the Eocky Mountains proper, 
begins, and for the next 1200 mUes, 

FOUR GEEAT RANGES OF MOUNTAINS 

have to be crossed by the present Union 
and Central Pacific Railway, at eleva- 
tions of 8,242 feet, 7,835 feet, 6,118 feet, 
7,017 feet respectively, going west. 
Now, as it is well known that altitude 
is equivalent to latitude. It is easy to 



land out of the immediate mountain 
ranges being dry, arid, alkali plains, 
like those of the Humboldt, a stream 
which, as most of them do, loses itself 
in the sand. They also account for the 
fact that, where cultivation is carried 
on, it is only maintained by irrigation 
from small streams just from the moun- 
tains. 

But enough on this section, and to 
again return to the J apanese stream. I 
said there was no Arctic current in the 
Pacific. The cause of this is, that the 
whole of the Japanese stream does not 
come to our western coast, but a por- 
tion of it that flows beyond the Aleu- 
tian Islands, keeps on in its course as 
laid down by the Almighty, and being 
gathered into a narrowed and stronger 
current by the converging of the coast 
of the large bay, opening southward to 
receive it, pours through Behring 
Straits in great volume into the Arctic 
Ocean. This keeps the western part of 
that sea so open and is the reason why 
no icebergs are seen ofE our western 
coast ; it also doubtless has its influence 
in moving out that merciless stream of 
cold into the Atlantic. Perhaps this 
very injected warm current accounts 
for the fact that ice in that dismal sec- 
tion does not increase Irom year to year, 
keeping us in constant fear of another 
great 

GliACIERCAX DELUGE. 

If, in giving so much space to these 
simply climatic facts, I have tired the 
Advertiser's readers, I would in ex- 
tenuation but simply say, that I do so 
honestly believing them worthy of 
their perusal. They also explaia, per- 
haps, many of the seeming self-evident 
absurdities, that various writers and 
persons have given in stating truthful 
facts of 

THE NEW northwest. 

For the Information of the Adver- 
tiser's readers in the United States, 
as well as elsewhere, a few words on 
the 

CANADIAN FORM OF 
GOVERNMENT 



,^ „„ it can't 

The Arctic currents, constantly flow- 
ing from an eternity of ice in the one 
case, and the four great ranges of 
mountains of immense height (many 
constantly snoiF-oapped, for the alti- 
tudes above given are merely those of 
the passes through them) and their 
great extent east and west, in the other 
case, proves the popularly believed 
theory of wise emigration, " keep in 
your native latitude," to be incorrect. 

Of course, here and there, between 
these mountain ranges, are warmer 
valleys, but these grand and mighty 
formations of the Divine Architect, act 
as so many condensers of the c'ouds 
and moist winds passing over them, 
particularly when there U added a 
fifth wall of mountains skirting the 
immediat>> coast of the Pacific, called 
the Coait Range. Whatever moisture 
there is in the breezes from that mighty 
oceai of rest, well called the Pacific, is 
completely taken out of them before 
they get any d-stance in the inter or. 
Besides, it is well known, that in the 



sTires'direHlv south along the line of I causes account for the entire 

th^ pit g^er-Union aid Central j of large.(or for that matter.small) riy- 

Pacific RaUway. And it further ex- ers 



uc seen why the great middle zone of ^ ,„ ^ - . 

temnerature doJ not run with the may be of interest. Tne Confederation, 
latitude across the Atlantic and across as formed at present, consists of the 
the States to the Western Ocean. It is Provinces of Ontario (formerly Upper 
Canada), Quebec (formeriy lower Can- 
ada), New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, 
Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince 
Edwards Island, the Northwest Terri- 
tory—just organized— and Territory of 
Keawatin, unorganized ; the latter be- 
ing as yet under the charge of the gov- 
ernor of Manitoba. 

The Confederation was formed in 
1867 by the uuion of the first four 
named provinces, Manitoba entering 
in 1870, British Columbia in 1871, 
Prince Edward's Island in 1873. New 
Foundlaud is the only province that is 
still out of the Union, which is known 
as the Dominion of Canada, at the 
head of which is the Governor General, 
who is appointed by the Queen for five 
years, at a salary fixed by the Domin- 
ion itself, of $50,000 per annum. The 
senators, who at prese it number 
eighty-one, hold their office for life. 
At the time of the formation of the 
confederation their number was seven- 
ty-two, they being appointed by the 
Queen direct. Subsequent additions 
and vacancies since occurring are tilled 
by nomin.itions made by the Governor 
General and Council, which nomina- 
tions are confirmed by the Queen, who 
ir iur uuai, ii.avici,o^.cv.,; ... issues their commissions to them direct, 
with bordering fertile valleys like Vacancies may occur by death, resigna- 



the flct," w^r known to all ; those in the northwest, aad for the I tion, absence for two consecutive ses- 




8TOBART, EDEN & CO. S BLOCK. See Page 27. 



sions, bankruptcy or conviction 
infamous crmes. 

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS 

low consists of at out two hundred 
menb r-. They are elec ed by the 
people, on a basis of population and are 
chosen for five years. Residence is 
not a J equisite for a candidate in the 
oistrict in which he may choose to 
"stand," but he may represent a dis- 
trict other than the one in which he 
rt sides. 

Assoc ated with the Governor Gen- 
eral is a cabinet or ministry of thirteen 
members, known as the 

queen's PKIVY council, foe CANADA, 

who hold the portfolios of the difierent 
departments under the title of minis- 
ters of customs, interior, etc. The for- 
mation of this cabinet is made by the 
Governor General asking the recog- 
nized leader (in the House) of the 
political party in majority, to confer 
with him in naming the members of 
the cabinet, which selections are made 
both from the Senate and House, with 
a majority from the latter body. The 
Memters of the House, so named, if 
the Y accept, at once resign and again 
go before the people of their own or 
any otter House constituency that 
may be vacant if they so desire, for re- 
election to the House ; when if re- 
elected, ttey take their place in the 
cabinet. This is done to assure a full 
accord between the minist'y and the 
pt 01 le. If the member so named fails 
of re- election, he is out of both house 
and cabiE et, but he is not de barred from 
running again for the house only. If 



of any of the originally r amed members 
fail in their re elec' ion, another is 
named until the number is complete. 
The senators, being for life, do not re- 
quire re-election, neither do they lose 
their seats in any event. The member 
of the House originally called by the 
Governor General to aid in forming 
the council, is called the Premier, or 
in the Dominion government 

THE PEIMB MINISTER, 

and the government so formed is usu 
ally known by his name. As in the 
case of the present Prime Minister, 
Et. Hon. Sir John A. McDonald, the 
government is called the 

M'DONALD aoVEBNMENT. 

When the organization is completed, 
the Queen issues their commissions to 
them as Her councillors. To these 
ministers is generally accorded the 
piivilege of making appointments to 
fill any vacancies in the home or head 
department among their immediate 
deputies or clerks, or in any of the Do- 
minion offlcrs in any of the Provinces ; 
though the Governor General is re- 
sponsible for all such oflScers and has a 
right to name them. Still he usually 
waives the right and confirms the ap- 
pointments of his ministers. The 
courtesy of naming the candidates for 
any of the Provincial vacancies is usu 
ally accorded by the minister of what- 
tVrr department It may be in, to the 
member of that Provincewhose poli- 
tics is in accord with that of the minis- 
try. Such subordinate appointments 
both in the head departments as well 
as in the Provinces being | 



MADE FOR LIFE, 

or during good behavior. The recipi- 
ent is supposed to thereafter keep him- 
self clear of all political questions, 
either by his vota or otherwise; they 
being expected to know only their 
official duties and to make their future 
reputation or advancement by their 
efficiency and courtesy. For, though 
tte ministry and political party under 
which they were appointed, may lose 
position and power, it does not effect 
them, the same holding good with the 
deputies, etc., in the department home 
office in Ottawa. Changes in the min- 
istry put out of position only the min- 
isters themselves. 

But to resume. The Governor Gen- 
eral has the privilege of calling upon 
any of his ministers to resign, and of 
calling another member to such de- 
partment, or he may dissolve the en- 
lire cabinet. All measures for parlia- 
mentary action are usually introduced 
by the minister of the department 
from which it would be proper to ema- 
nate, and whenever the government 
fails of support in the House in any of 
its measures, it is usually expected 
they will resign ; or if a direct vote of 
want of confidence in them is given by 
the House— wh;ch is usually followed 
by a petition to the Governor General 
to name a new Premier who is usually 
the leader of the opposition in the 
House— upon such a vote the Premier 
and Council so defeated resign their 
commissions, which are accepted, and 
the new Premier and Council take 
their places ; those from the House go- 
ing before the people for re-election as 
at first. 

THE PROVINCIAL OOVEBNORS 

are appointed by the Governor General 
and Council, with the approval of the 
Queen, with the title of L-eutenant 
Governor, such appointment being for 
five years. In the Provincial Parlia- 
ments there are no senators, the body 
being composed of the Legislative 
Council, appointed by the Lieut. Gov- 
ernor and tiis Council for life, and the 
Legislative Assembly elected for four 
years. The Lieut. Governor names a 
Premier, wuo selects with the Gover- 
nor, a cabinet which is called Ihe Ex- 
ecutive Council ; it being selected and 
governed by the same rules as the Privy 
Council in the Dominion government. 
Subordinate provincial officers are for 
life, the same as in the Dominion. 
Three of the provinces hive done away 
with the nominative body or legisla- 
tive council and have only one, the 
elective or legislative assembly. This 
bcdy with the executive council, per- 
forms the provincial governmental 
functions. The provinces having only 
the one are Ontario, Manitoba and 
British Columbia. 

The Dominion of Canada does not 
pay one cent of tribute or taxes to the 
English or home government, in any 
way whatever. On the contrary she 
charges her just the same customs 
tariff on her merchandise, etc., coming 
into Canada, as upon that coming from 
the United States or any other country. 
Again, all the public lands in British 
America (which has a much larger 
area than the United States) belong to 
the Dominion, and not to England. 
Canada has ulso its own system of in- 
ternal revenue. In fact, her resources 
are the same as the National Govern- 
ment of the United States. There are 
no British tn ops in the Dominion, her 
forts being garrisoned by her own sol- 
diers under her own control, though, as 
aforesaid, some of her governmental 
officers arenominaly understood as be- 



Ing named by the Queen ; she seems to 
waive that right with the single excep- 
tion of the Governor General ; aodeven 
in his ease, she would not name or re 
tain any one that was obnoxious to 
them. All oommissione and legal docu- 
ments emanating from and under the 
Dominion, acknowledge Her Majesty's 
sovereignly, and light as her legal hold 
upon them seems, I very much doubt if 
in England even, she has more really 
loyal subjects than are the Canadians 
to-day. 

VOTING IN CANADA, 

for members ef Parliament, etc,, is free 
to all (but Indians) except a small prop- 
erty qualification, which amount may 
vary some in the different provinces, 
though I cannot sa7 that it is not uni- 
form. But this limitation, small as it 
may be, is a most wonderful safeguard 
of that greatest of polioical privileges, 
thebaUot. 
If these hurried 

POLITICAL NOTES 

are given with sufficient clearness, our 
many readers may be able to better 
judge which of the two governments, 
that of Canada or the United States, is 
really the best and freest, and, which 
contains the elements of the greatest 
present and future strength. They, 
perhaps, may be able to decide whether 
we cannot embody in our own govern- 
mental machinery some good things 
from even so young a government 
as that of Canada. 

MANITOBA. 

On the eastern limit, or more prop- 
erly speaking, the southeastern corner 
of this great prairie tract of more than 
one thousand miles in extent, spoken 
of in Mr. Grant's "Ocean to Ocean," is 
the location of this little province, 
with an area of only some 14,340 
square miles, being about 120 miles 
from east to west, by 100 miles north 
and south, and containing about 10,- 
000,'jOO acres. Coming just within her 
eastern borders is that 

VAST FOBEST EBGION, 

that extends away eastwardly through 
the older provinces to the Atlantic, 
while coming in from the south is that 
great prairie country from the United 
States, or which more properly speak- 
ing, stretches away from the wa- 
ters of the Peace River through 
Manitoba, south through Minnesota, 
Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kan- 
sas, the Indian Territory and Texas, 
to the Gulf of Mexico, more than two 
thousand miles from the southern 
boundary of Manitoba. In this latter 
prairie tract, away on the south line 
of the State of Minnesota, rises the 
Red River, which, running almost due 
north of the States into and across this 
province, empties into Lake Winci- 
peg, some forty miles north of its 
capital city of Winnipeg. As this 
stream pursues its course northward 
through this great prairie, its valley 
widens from a few miles to fully 40 
miles on the west to the Pembina 
Mountains, and 50 miles east, but the 
eastern forest section gradually begins 
to close in shortly after the river 
enters the province, in a circular line, 
until it comes up to and crosses the 
river about 20 miles above its mouth. 
Along its western bank, after entering 
the province, are scattered belts of 
timber with some on its western trib- 
utaries; but its eastern bank is gener- 
ally lined with a timber belt of fully 
one mile in width, while streams 
coming in from the east are both more 
numerous and larger, with correspond- 
ingly heavy borderings of forest. The 



m 

Red River in crossing Manitoba, 
leaves about one-third of the province 
to the east. This river empties into 
Lake Winnipeg through four channels 
or mouths ; the first, or more easterly 
being the best. All of its channels or 
mouths run through a large tract of 
grassy marsh, extending some nine 
miles north and south, and 15 miles 
east and west, along the head of this 
great lake some three hundred miles 
long. A little more than half way 
from the south to the northern pro- 
vincial boundaries the 

ASSINNEBOINE 

empties into the Red from the west. 
Following up the Assinnebolae its 
general course through the Province 
to its Western limit is to the west, 
thus dividing the Western two-thirds 
of the Province into nearly two 
equal parts. Near the northwest cor- 
ner of the Province comes in a high 
plateau called the Riding Mountains, 
which run in a southeast course until 
broken by the broad valleyof the As- 
sinneboine, here some fifty miles wide 
the river flowing nearly through the 
middle of this valley. To the south 
of this valley this same plateau attain- 
ing an elevation of some two or three 
hundred feet again rises, running in 
the same general course but is known 
as the 

PEMBINA MOUNTAINS 

which extend on out of the Province 
into the States, thus dividing the 
western portion of the Province into 
two parts, that laying to the east being 
generally the level prairie of the Red 
and Assinneboine valleys proper, 
while to the west it is higher and 
more rolling. Along the northern 
boundary line near the northeast cor- 
ner the waters of 

LAKE WINNIPEG 

come down into the Province some 
fifteen miles. Tnis lake is some 300 
miles long from the mouth of the Red 
river to its outlet into the Hudsons 
Bay, near Norway House, through the 
River Nelson. Its course is directly 
north. Following along this same 
northern boundary line some forty 
miles from the western shore of Lake 
Winnipeg, 

LAKE MANITOBA 

comes down into the Province some 
25 miles. It runs north some 120 miles 
when it is terminated by a marshy 
section through whicd runs a narrow 
channel a mile or two into 

LAKE WINNEPEQOSIS. 

This lake runs north another 120 miles, 
having an outlet through a small lake 
called Cedar Lake, which is really an 
enlargement of the Siskatchewan, a 
short distance above its mouth, and so 
the waters of these two lakes really 
flow into Lake Winnipeg through the 
channel or mouth of that river. To- 
gether these two lakes are two hun- 
dred and twenty miles from north to 
south with many beautiful bays and 
smaller connecting lakes. The great- 
est breadth of Lake Manitoba is 
twenty-four miles and of Lake Winn- 
epegosis, twenty miles. Uninterrup- 
ted navigation is obtainable between 
these two lakes. Some twenty Ave 
miles down the eastern shore of Lake 
Winnipeg at Fort Alexander the 

WINNIPEG KIVER 

enters the lake. This is a large 
stream, it being the outlet of Rainy 
Lake, Lake of the Woods, in fact the 
entire country nearly through to 
Thunder Bay on Lake Superior and 
embraces in its basin the greatest 
watered portion of the entire continent 



save only that of the great lakes them- 
selves, lis scenery is grand and pic- 
turesque. It is a stream of cascades 
and waterfalls, falling during its 
course of 125 to 150 miles from the 
Lake of the Woods nearly 500 feet. 
This river with the lakes and streams 
connected with it was the highway or 
water way over which those hardy 
French Canadian voyagers for more 
than 100 years carried on their trafiSc 
between the waters of Lake Superior 
and their trading posts on the Red, 
Saskatchewan and other streams to 
the west and south through to the Pa- 
cific. They form to-day a part of the 

DAWSON ROUTE 

which begins at Thunder Bay going 
west over the same series of small 
lakes and streams to the west shore of 
the Lake of the Woods, where instead 
of continuing down Winnipeg River, 
up the lake and up Red R'ver,it leaves 
the Lake of the Woods and by wagon 
road goes direct to Winnipeg or Ft. 
Garry, 125 miles distant. On this route 
to-day eleven small steamers take the 
place of the batteaux of those early 
voyagers in the waters between the 
different portages, while good connect- 
ing roads hJve been built where nec- 
essary. This route was " 



through by the Canadian government 
in 1870 and has since been kept in op- 
eration by the government, open to 
travel and transportation generally. 
Though 'tis perhaps but natural to ex- 
pect, it never has become a much pat- 
ronized route, as against continuing on 
Lake Superior to Duluth, the North- 
ern Paciflcj and St. Paul & Pacific 
to Winnipeg. Still the opportunity 
has existed and at low rates fixed 
by the Canadian government, which 
is to-day expending large amounts 
in building locks in Rainy River 
for steamers to still further im- 
prove it. Again, through this same 
section the Canadian Pacific Railway 
has its line located and most of it un- 
der contract, with some 225 miles 
graded and the iron down at least 190 
miles of it, while at Thunder Bay and 
Winnipeg is piled up the steel rails, 
fish plates, bolts and spikes enough for 
the entire distance. So that soon the 
whistle of the locomotive will be 
heard through those wilds that for the 
last 150 years knew only the songs and 
shouts of the "Coureurs Des Bois." 

But returning to Manitoba again, I 
would say, that batween Lake Winni- 
peg, Manitoba and Winnepegosis, the 
country is generally a forest, as it is 
generally around the shores of all 
these lakes, also along the streams en- 
tering into them. Along the 
Assinneboine are heavy timber belts, 
especially on its south bank which.with 
that along the Red, already spoken of, 
and the generally timbered uplands of 
the Riding and Pembina mountains, 
need only protection against prairie 
fires to increase it largely; while 
coal is known to exist ia the Riding 
and Pembina mountains. So it will be 
seen that the 

WOOD AND WATER SUPPLY 

is ample for all present and future 
wants of the Province— while as yet 
Manitoba is drawing but little on her 
own fuel resources as most at present 
is rafted down the Red river from the 
States. 

THE SOIL 

of the Pro vin ce being m ainl y of the rich 
black alluvium of the Red and Assin- 
neboine Valleys, from four to eight and 
even twelve feet deep, is unsurpassed 
in fertility even by that of the famouf 
Valleyof the Nile, while that of its 
gei>tl3 uplands is of a quick rich loam. 



[10] 



In fact, I do not believe there is a 
single acre of poor land in this Prov- 
ince. 

THE PKODUOTIONS, 

of this country are large and varied 
enough to show that it possesses un- 
usual wealth of soil. From the returns 
of last years crops the following 
showing was reached, although 
lessened by various cause ^ frem 
that of previous years, some of 
which were local and some general, 
but mostly peculiar to that year. 
Among these were the very heavy 
rains that caught the wheat just as it 
was ripening. The fallowing yields 
per acre was the showing made as 
above named : Wheat from 25 to 35 
bushel?, average 33J^ bu. ; Barley 40 to 
45, average 42^ bu.; Oats 40 to 60, 
average 51 bu. ; Peas 25 to 35, average 
321^ bu.; Potatoes average 229 br.; 
Turnips 662 bu. 

Though these reports may all be 
true, I am satisfied that on wheat at 
least, they are too high for a full aver- 
age of the Province, for they had very 
bad weather for their wheat harvest, 
and from a general inquiry made per- 
sonally, I judge 20 bushels as nearer a 
Provincial wheat average, though I 
have nothing tending to reduce the 
average of the other grains and deem 
that they may be correct, as they ma- 
ture rather earlier than wheat. The 
rest average I predict rather under 
than over the usual yield. Aside from 
the above enumerations, individual 
cases arejiot rare in this same section 
of wheat yielding 60 bushels Irom one 
bushel of seed ; 100 bushels of oats to 
the nere have also been raised, and 
barley as high as 60 bushels, weighing 
from 50 to 55 pounds to the bushel. 
This I am ready to believe, for all of 
these grains are of great weight. Po- 
tatoes have yielded as high as 600 
bushels to the acre andf of a quality 
unsurpassed, as are all the root crops. 
Turnips have yielded as high as 1000 
bushels per acre, 500ito "700 being quite 
common. Corn does very well here 
though not made much of a crop. 
Flax and hemp do well here, but there 
being as yet no market, either J for 
home use or export, owing to present 
high freights, but little is raised. 

TAME GEASSBS 

do splendidly, rarticularlv timothy 
and herdsgrass, though the native 
grass is good enough, either for feed- 
ing or lawn purposes. In fact the 
light autumn rains do not soak out the 
nutritive properties of the native 
grass, and in winter the cattle will 
turn from the hay ricks to eat the 
naturally ripened grass underneath 
the light snow-falls of this section. 
Cabbages grow to an enormous size 
and mature quickly, so do cauli- 
flower and celery; the latter being 
large, whiteand flne-flavored. Cucum- 
bers, onions and rhubarb attain great 
perfection and jield. Lettuce grows 
with a criapness unsurpassed. Melons 
and tomatoes do well, particularly the 
latter. Wild hops grow in profusion 
about the lakes and streams, are in 
general use among the settlers and 
have also been successfully used by 
the local bi ewers . But of the products 
of the soil 

WHEAT IS KING. 

The amount raised in the Province 
last year was about 1,100,000 bushels, 
of a general average of 63 pounds to 
the bushel, while large fields were 
raised in which the average weight 
was even more than this. One field 
had a straight average of 68 pounds to 
the bushel and another field of 2 000 
bushels averaged 66 pounds, producing I 




^"^I^J 



J 1 .I k'JM.M.— - 




iM-L'l!: 



m rr.'Lffcr : 



E. GERKIE & CO.'S STOEB. 'Seepage 37. 



46 and 42J pounds of flour to the bushel, 
The wheat, bushel for bushel.produces 
a much larger per cent of middlings 
or "patent process" than the wheat of 
Minnesota. This is the peculiar prop- 
erty of the Minnesota spring wheat, 
which has already given the flour of 
that State the supremacy in the eastern 
States and on the London market, 
making it in that city in price the peer 
of the flour of any country or mills 
that are brought to that great 

CENTRAL MARKET OF THE WORLD. 

Large as was the amount produced 
last year, considering the agricultural 
age and high priced export facil- 
ities, save to the surrounding and 
newer portions west, it is enough to 
supply the home demand, as well 
as considerable for seed and ship- 
ment; but the increased acre- 
age and present flue prospects go 
to show a large increase over last years 
products. The same may be said of 
other crops. Though only a few small 
shipments of wheat and flour have yet 
been made to the Canadian markets 
from Manitoba, still they have been 
sufficient to give established quota- 
tions over the wheat from any other 
section and they will readily take any 
surplus this Province may have in the 
coming j^ears. Though it is seeming- 
ly cut cff from the markets of the 
States, by the fodish tariff put on by 
the United States of 20 cents per bu., 
gold, still its great weight and superi- 
ority have attracted the attention of 
the Chicago and Milwaukee wheat 
dealers to "grade up" the poorer wheat 



of more Southern localities that comes 
to those cities for a market. So there 
is no doubt but that as the proper rail- 
way and other shipping facilities are 
opened (for Manitoba is nearer lake 
navigation at Duluth than Kansas is 
to Chicago) the wheat of Manitoba will 
go largely to those markets in the 
States, even though this high and un- 
just tariff is not done away with. 

It would seem that 

But, while according so much space 
to wheat, enough has been given to 
show that 

MIXED FARMING 

is fully remunerative, that all kinds of 
cereals are sure, while vegetables 
yield almost fabulously and of unsur- 
passed excellence. Data enough have 
been given and are easily attainable to 
show that one need not fear to plant 
in this generous soil any cereal or teg- 
etahle crop, as the general success is 
undoubted. There is no section where 
grains of all kinds yield so bountiful- 
ly, and the crops, year after year, so 
uniformly full. Herein lies the great 

SECRET OF StrCCESSFUL HtTSBANDRY. 

Profitable amounts raised every year. 
The crop products heretofore spcken 
of have been those raised in Manitoba, 
but this fact wants to be borne in 
mind: that the further westward you 
go up the valley of the Saskatchewan, 
the earlier are the springs and longer 
the seasons. Settlements that have 
already gone in that section sustain 
this assertion, while the productive- 



[11] 



ness of the soil there is unqnestioned. 
It is a question if 

STOCK RAISING 

is not as legitimate a farming crop as 
cereals and not a special branch as many 
seem to think/ It is the uniform record 
of all the grasshopper stricken section? 
in the newer parts of the west that 
those f irmers who were possessed of a 
few head of cows, swine, etc, escaped 
much of the privation, hardship and 
destitution that was the portion of their 
neighbors, who had confined their la- 
bors to the raising of crops only. In 
fact it is a question whether in a few 
years it will not be proved that the 

HEAL WEALTH 

of what are now the front' er settle- 
ments in the States, has not been in- 
creased and made more parmanent by 
and through the visitation of this 
scourge and the lessons that have been 
taught, showing conclusively to the 
settlers, the great lack of practical wis- 
dom in placing their whole dependence 
upon any one kind of product 3. It is 
the weU known common error of naost 
pioneers, and for that matter of older 
settlers, too, to make wheat their mam 
stay, when it is espeeially sensitive to 
any of the many dangers of cbmate, 
seasons, etc., that are around the path 
of new comers in every section. While 
in this climate and Province, and away 
through the great Northwest beyond 
here, 

STOCK BAISING IS A CERTAINTY. 

There is on? fact about one of the most 
8eQsitive,delicate domestic animals the 
farmer gathers about him, viz, the 
sheep. It is now over 40 years smce 
sheep were first brought to the Red 
River, and as yet no case of disease at- 
tacking them, has ever been koown, 
while their wool is of a very fine quali- 
ty, yielding from six to eight pound 
fleeces from weathers and trom two to 
three and one half pounds from ewes. 
Swine present the same record of 
healthful ness here. WhUe the report 
of the Statistician of the United States 
Department of Agriculture, in Wash- 
ington, made the 29th of May 1877, 
shows that losses of swine by disease in 
th3U. S. during the previous 12 months, 
were 4,000,000 of all ages, and of a 
money value of more than $20,000,000, 
the same being equivalent to one third 
of the sum of the exports of pork pro- 
ducts of that yeir, and I do not kuDW 
that it was an uausually sickly year 
among them either. 

THE NATIVE CATTLE 

one sees here, particularly the beef cat- 
tle are very fine and large, the Steers 
being a full half larger than those of 
Texas and fully up to the size of those 
in the older States and Provinces. They 
are very hardy and are used generally 
on the road, instead of hirses, in draw- 
ing th^ trains that go out all through 
the great Saskatchewan and Peace 
Biver district, 1600 to 1500 miles. 

They are much quicker walkers 
than ho-ses, and their feet being 
larger, Bthey are less liable 
mire in crossing streams 
sloughs. They require less care and 
have more strength; easily drawing 
loads of 1000 pounds each, day after 
day. They are never yoked together, 
but each harnessed singly, draw the 
light Red River carts which are made 
without a particle of iron. When used 
by the farmers for agricultural purposes 
they are sometimes yoked together, but 



lives they do not know the taste of any 
kind of grain, while in Winter they are 
seldom sheltered or fed except when 
there are extra heavy snowf alls.though 
they do then require more or less feed- 
ing and some shelter. 

THE HOESES 

that know the inside of a stab'e during 
winter except in the larger settlements, 
are very few, in fact it is so near the 
custom, that it is but the truth to say 
that they are never fed the winter 
through, but stable and board them- 



They are not as one would naturally 
suppose "Uttle rats of things," like those 
of New Mexico, and the Southwest gen- 
erally, but good fair sized horses. I 
have seen them coming into Winnipeg 
in Trader's Trains that have been con- 
tinually on the road for 72 days, yet 
have never seen a really poor horse 
among them. They too, like the ox 
have no feed but the wUd grass ; no 
grain in any form being fed them. Tne 
horses and cattle of this section are 

NOT A MONGREL RACE 

as it would seem natural from their lo- 
cation they would be, for more than 
fifty years ago stallions of the best blood 
then kaown in England were imported 
here, by the way of Hudaoa Bay, Nel- 
son River, and Lake Winnipeg, at a 
cost and expense of as high as $10,000. 
Fine Durham Bulls were also brought 
the same way, and never since then has 
the Province been without Sires of the 
best beef and horse blood obtainable 
any where. ,„. . 

I saw only five miles from Winni- 
peg at Silver Heights on the stock 
farm of the Hon. James -McKay, 
a herd of 140 Geldings, mares and 
colts, sired by as fiae and clear, 
straight blooded stallions as can be 
found in the whole Mississippi val- 
ley, from its source to the sea, that nev 
er yet in winter have seen the inside of 
a stable or received a measure or fork- 
full of feed. The same ij the case at 
all the trading posts and smaller set- 
tlements from Winnipeg to the Rocky 
M juntains, and up in the great and 
magnificent valleys of the Athabasca 
and Peace rivers extending to the 
Northwest, up to and beyond latitude 
58 north and longitude 120 west from 
Greenwich. 

GREAT HUMAN EX- 
PERIMENT. 

How do these facts tally with the 
universally claimed assertion of those 
kind hearted, well posted ones who say 
if you want to raise stock you must go 
south; but not to this section? They 
will so patronizingly laugh at any one 
who difiers with them and say, why 
my dear sir, the trouble is, you will 
have to feed them so long in winter 
that they will eat their heads off. 
Well, gentlemen, I do not hesitate to 
predict, that when in after years, this 
great Northwest becomes better known 
to you, you will find that this will then 
be generally admitted, as a fundamen- 
tal law of animal nature, that where 
man thrives in the greatest vigor and 
reaches the highest pnysical and men- 
tal excellence, there will the animals 
created by an All Wise Creator, for 
man's use and assistance, reach their 
greatest natural perfection.* If, in 

*It U well known tbat a tew years since, so 
ereat was the loss and wide spread the disease 
introduced in the Western and Northern States 
by the passage through thetn ot Texas cattle 

r.-' . 1 *^. °. „p tunf*. Cfof^ Itto- olatiir^ia lama 



tSeVeat -l-.-f>T -« -^'^/"I '^^kV^t^' ^o^^^'^'^^Z^^^^ 

travelling, which they do with no feed , through those States of cattle from Texas, except 
hut the wild grass. During their whole '■ under very strlngf nt regulations. Ohio was one 



these coming years, it should be found 
that in a 

BILIOUS AND PULMONARY SOUTH 

this sought-for Eden of man, should 
be found, why then you might be right, 
but in the meantime, while this grand 
human experiment is oeing tried, it 
would seem to be wisest for the present 
at least, to feel that a section where 
ague, consumption, and most of the 
great human destroying fevers are un- 
known, will do very well to come to, 
bringing your families, stock, or if 
empty handed, your hopes and energy 
and here, if one cannot in the mean- 
time satisfy himself by his own judg- 
ment, patiently wait the issues others 
may make in the Southern latitudes. 

SETTLEMENT 

came into the Province slowly, as 
aforesaid, until 1872. Since then it has 
every year been increasing. The first 
settlers being Trench Canadians, 
brought with them from Lower Cana- 
da, their peculiar form of dividing 
land in laying out their settlements, 
which they always made along some 
watercourse. ,. .^ j, ■ 

The water frontage was divided in- 
to so many hundreds of feet to each 
family, but running back two milea 
making a specific title of two miles 
back and a claim or privilege of two 
miles more or a continuous debthjof 
four miles. Such was the form of 

LAND TITLES 

in this Province at the time of the 
organization of the Dominion Land 
Department for the Province m 1873. 
There were Parish organizations ex- 
tending most of the way along the 
Red river from the States, nearly to 
its mouth, some 75 miles and about 
the same distance up the Assinne- 
boine. Those on the Bed River going 
down from the south, north were St. 
Agathe, St. Norbet, St. Wal, St. Bom- 
face: east and west Winnipeg, St. 
John, Kildonan, St. Paul, St. Andrew ; 
south and north St. Clements and St. 
Peter. Those on the Assinneboine, 
going from the east, west being St. 
James, St. Charles, Headingly, St. 
Francois Xavier, Bale St. Paul, Poplar 
Point, High Bluff, and Portage La 
Prairie. From Winnipeg down the 
river nearly through the Parish of bt. 
Peter some 25 miles it was quite 
thickly settled, while up the river set- 
tlements were more scattered, up 
the Assinneboine they are now almost 
continuous. ., ^ ^,. ,j „* 

At the same time that these old set- 
tlement claims were allowed, there 
were reservations amounting to 1,400,- 
000 acres set apart to extinguish half 
breed claims of various kinds. By 
some, the setting apart of so much 
land for 

THE HALF-BREED GRANTS 

is considered a drawback to the Pro- 
vince as they were choice lands and in 
the central part of the Province. I do 
not think so ; rather the reverse, as 
but few of them retain the lands so 
given, but sell them at mere nominal 
figures, as fast as the various allot- 
ments are made personally to them, 
as their right or title to their portion 
of the reservation are passed upon by 
the government. In 1876 the allot- 
ments begun to be made. As they 
have continued to be made every 
month or two, it is found that 
nearly all sell them. In very rare 

of the States passing this cattle law. In 1877 she 
suffered a loss of thousands of dollars by disease, 
which they were unable to surpress4ntroduced bv 
Tdrove of Texas cattle, which 'V'^^ns^Uhrougb 
that State were allowed or took privileges not 
permitted by law. 



oases some one retains his drawings. 
Generally they not only sell them at 
once but offer those of their children, 
or minor claims as they are called. 
These claims have been and are now a 
favorite form of investment and spec- 
ulation, as the prices at which they are 
sold make the land cost much less per 
acre not only than the Dominion bill 
of one dollar, but also below that of 
railroad lands in the United States 
which have been purchased in such 
large blocks by means of their depre- 
ciated bonds which the railroads take 
in payment for their lands. There is 
a great deal of money being made in 
these half-breed claims. 

THE INDUCEMENTS 

which the Dominion government 
offers to settlers coming in colonies, 
are very much more liberal than can 
be made by the United States govern- 
ment, as the States have but one price 
$1.25 if not within a railroad grant, 
and $2,50 per acre if within a grant. 
The extra inducements offered by the 
Dominion government have been im- 
proved by 

THE MENNONITES 

(German Quakers from Southern Rus- 
sia) who took a grant of eight town- 
ships on the east of the Red River be- 
gining some 18 miles from the south 
line of the province. This is known 
as the Rat Rivtr settlement. They 
have also taken another grant of 17 
townships on the west side of the Red 
River, seven of the townships being 
directly on the south boundary line. 
Some 8;000 of these peaceable, thrifty 
working people have already reached 
this province and are settled in their 
own homes. They are all workers, 
men,women and children ; no drones 
among them. Being of these thrifty 
working habits it is but natural that 
they succeed. They are the most de- 
sirable foreigners that have come to 
this country in years. Most of them 
have more or less money and some are 
quite wealthy. In 1875 a delegation 
visited this province 

FEOM ICELAND 

and made selections by special ar- 
rangement with the Dominion govern- 
ment, of several townships on the 
west side of Lake Winnipeg. In 
1876 some 1,500 of them came out to 
Manitoba, and now in their own 
homes are thriving as they never did 
in their native island. 

THE H. B. COMPANY, 

according to the terms of their sale 
are allowed two sections of 640 acres 
each, in every township. A township 
consists of 36 sections or a tract of 
land six miles fquare; the plans of 
land surveys in Manitoba and the 
Northwest being the same as the pub- 
lic lands in the United States. Besides 
the two sections to the H. B. Company, 
two sections are set apart in each 
township for public school purposes, 
the same as in the United States. 
These are all 

THE GREAT EESERVES 

set apart in the province of Manitoba 
that many, unfavorably disposed, use 
as arguments against the chance ol 
getting good lands there. Outside of 
Manitoba there are none of these re- 
serves, except the H. B. Company's 
and the school lands, or such as may 
hereafter, by special arrangement 
with the government, De set apart to 
settling communities. So that the 
argument often made that the best 
lands in this section are locked upin 
reserve?, falls to the ground. All the 
half breed claims in the entire North- 



n2_j 

west are extinguished by the reserve 
made in Manitoba. 

THE HALF-BEEEDS. 

A few kind words are due the Half 
Breeds, of which there are many thou- 
sands scattered through this section, 
the large portion of course being in 
this Province. They are as a class 
very peaceable and reliable. Many of 
them are well educated and hold high 
positions. They are proverbially 
trusty. Many of their daughters are 
well married to gentlemen in good 
business and official places. Some are 
of great beauty, and in their marriage 
relations are controlled by as fine sense 
of duty as their white sisters of the 
same social position, to say the least. 
There seem to be two kinds of 
half breeds, one inheriting the 
roving disposition of their Indian 
mother, the other more naturally fol- 
lowing the civilized insiincts of their 
fathers; the former becoming hunters, 
voyagers, etc., the latter preferring 
the more settled ways of civilization. 
It is very seldom that they are cruel 
and harsh, though they may be im- 
provident. On the contrary thty are 
all of them usually very mild man- 
nered. There is no reason to doubt 
but that the success of the British and 
Canadian Government in their Indian 
management, both in the old as well 
as the new Provinces, is due to the 
friendly offices and influence of these 
half-breeds, for almost to a man, when 
it comes down to a choice between In- 
dian or Whites, thev are for the whites 
every time. The United States has 
never in its Indian management had 
the friendly influence of this large 
favorable intermediate class, speaking 
both the Indian and civilized langu- 
ages, but it has had to meet and treat 
with the Indians through agents, who 
were neither familiar with their lan- 
guage or habits, hence their disadvan- 
tage and consequent trouble in com- 
parison with the English Government 
and Canada. I am not prepared to 
admit that the Government of the 
United States as a government, has 
been a whit behind the British in lib- 
erality or good faith to the Indians, 
but I do admit, that as a Government 
it has been, as well as the Indian, 
swindled outrageously, by the forced 
employment of agents, who were true 
to neither party or interest; false to 
the Indian because of ignorance, and 
to the Government, because of such 
general ignorance they had a chance, 
and farther because they intended to 
be unfaithful to begin with. Useful 
as these half breeds have been to civi- 
lization in the past and present, they 
have still a future mission, which they 
will fulfill equally as well, and that is 
as frontiersmen ; the "avant coureurs" 
of human progress in its march up the 
great Valleys to the Mountains, and 
down the sunny western slopes to the 
Pacific. A knowledge of the existence 
of such a trusty vanguard, gives me 
faith to believe that this march will 
go steadily and continuously forward, 
free from the great retarding influence 
the States have here had to meet in 
carrying westward the 

STAR OF CIVILIZED EMPIRE. 

But to return to the settlement 
question, besides these old settlements 
that were in existence in '73, there 
have beea others made in the province 
since, such as Sunny Side, Springfield, 
Grassmere, Emerson, etc., etc. 

Other places in the Province lay 
claim to distinction as bein? first a 
central point, the location of mills, etc., 
and almost before one can realize it, 



towns of considerable impoitance. Of 
this class may be mentioned 

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE. 

This town, the lesidence of Joseph 
Ryan, Esq., M. P., who is m w serving 
his second term in the pominion Par- 
liamett at Ottawa, is situated about 75 
miles westof Winnipeg in a mcstmag- 
niflcoDt country. It is on the Assineboin 
River acd is the head of the present 
system of navigation on that river. It 
is eonnectf d by a regular line of boats 
with Winnipeg. By a small outlay 
navigation could be so improved that 
boats could run several hundred miles 
of river distance beyord the Portage. 
Tbe great highway to the Northwest 
Territory runs through this place. It 
will undoubtedly become the capital 
or shire town of the county of the game 
name, as it is already the leading town 
in the county, as is also 

GLADSTONE, 
situated on the banks of the White 
Mud River, 18 miles from Lake Mani- 
toba, to which it is navigable. At this 
point is a substantial bridge across the 
above river, over which passes the 
great highway t» the Saskatchewan 
country, and beyond. Its location in 
the county of Westbource, of which it 
is the capital, is central. It already 
has one steam saw mill and machine 
shop, where flooring, siding, lath and 
shingles are manufactured. Spruce 
and other timber abounds in the vicin- 
ity. Another saw mill, a short distance 
north, increases the local supply of 
lumber. Here also is a steam grist 
and flouring mill, one of the largest 
and best in the province. A former 
small one here was burned last sum- 
mer. Two blacksmith's shops, three 
general stores, two boot and shoe 
maker's shops, one tin and stove store, 
a wagon and sleigh factory, a cheese 
factory, county tall, hotels, churches, 
school houses, and a number of neat 
residences, give it an air of business, 
comfort and growth. It is one of the 
great Saskatchewan mail stations, and 
for a considerable time was a depot 
and station of the Northwest Mounted 
Police. This fine bcdy of military po- 
1 ce are now moved out of and to the 
west of the province, with stations to 
the base of the Rocky Mountains. A 
weekly newspaper is being started 
here. The railway facilities of this 
place promise to be of the best, it being 
the present intended terminus of the 
Manitoba Western Railway, for the 
construction of which the county last 
year (1878) made provision for granting 
a bonus of $150,000. This place is a 
natural point for any system of rail- 
ways passing south of Lake Manitoba 
and east of the Riding Mountains. 
The original survey for the Canadian 
Pacific Railway was through here. 
The town has just been incorporated. 
The energy, enterprise, development 
and spirit of progress which is general 
through this county, and which are 
especially shown in this new town, 
must make it not only a favorite place 
for a settlement, but also for invest- 
ment. Lots wh ch sold here only a 
few years since at flO have recently 
changed hands at $100 and upw ards. 

Full information concerning this 
county and point n ay be had of Hon. 
C. P. Brown, Provincial Secretary of 
the Province, at Winnipeg, who is a 
resident of Gladstone, and who will 
doubtless see that h er legislative and 
other interests are not neglected. 
MORRIS. 

This young, thriving town is situ- 
ated on the west side of the Red River, 



37 miles south of Winnipeg, near the 
northern boundary of the county of 
Provencher. The town, consisting of 
about thirty houses, is bnUt on the 
•high prairie. Scratching River, span- 
ned by a substantial bridge, flows 
through the town site, which has been 
laid out in Townships No. 4 and 5, 
'Range 1 East, about 300 acres having 
been surveyed into town lots— 200 
acres of which are the property of Mr, 
Wm. Gall e, a most energetic man, 
The remaining 100 acres, in T. 5, is the 
property of Colonel Kennedy, Regis- 
trar, etc. The principal street, running 
east and west from the Red River, is 
the dividing line between the town- 
ships. The stage and telegraph road 
i5rom Winnipeg runs through the cen- 
tre of the town, and is the main busi- 
ness street running north and south. 
The place has three general stores, two 
of them occupying neat brick build- 
ings, two agricultural implement es- 
tablishments, each having good grain 
warehouses of 8000 bushels storage ca- 
pacity. Carrutheis & Picgle have a 
«ood saw and grist mill, where flour is 
;Sold at $2 25 per sack. 

The Canada Methodist Church is a 
flne edifice. The Episcopal Methodists 
have a church and parsonage and a 
good organ. Both of these denomina- 
tions have resident pastors. The Pres- 
byterians have a resident minister. 
The latter, as well as the Church of 
England, both intend the erection of 
churches this summer. A literary so- 
ciety has regular weekly meetings. 
The Masons and Odd Fellows have 
«ach an organized lodge. A sub.-tan- 
tial brick school house accommodates 
the children. The town has two good 
-hotels, tbe Riverside and Ward's. The 
best of brick-clay, limestone and sand 
Abound here, showing it to be favored 
In its building material, and the num- 
ber of neat brick dwellings attest its 
cheapness. Its citizens are tfcrifty, in- 
dustrious, intelligent and progressive. 
They are largely from Ontario. The 
-country west of Morris is a rich prairie, 
well drained by the Scratching River. 
Two years ago less than a half dozen 
buildings marked this location. Such 
towns as these and others show how 
rapidly this new Prairie Province is de- 
veloping. 

Besides these settlements in Mani- 
toba, there are many new ones starting 
up at the Government and H. B. Com- 
pany's posts, and other naturally good 
points along the Saskatchewan and its 
tributaries, as well as at interior 
points. At present there are. Battle- 
ford, the new capital of the north- 
western territory, Forts Carlton, Pitt, 
and Edmonton, also St. Albert, all on 
the Saskatchewan. At the latter a 
'fine steam saw, flour and grist mill is 
proving a perfect mine of wealth to 
its owner. 

THE POPULATION OF MANITOBA 

■may be safely put down at 35,000 to 
40,000. No census having been taken 
for several years, it is hard to say with 
accuracy ; but it is not less than the 
first, nor more than the second num- 
ber. 

NAVIGATION. 

The modem advance of civilization 
differs in many respects from the old 
in requiring some avenue of entrance 
and oomnaunication in which steam 
can be employed as the advancing and 
home connecting power, in fact, no 
settlement now-a-days becomes a fixed 
fact, a real subduing force, until, like 
the Altar fires of the ancients, the 
smoke and breath and the loud toned 
voice of the steam engine is seen and 



r--"'^r-^- ^— "\r-- i^ 




CANADIAN PACIFIC RIILWAT OFFICE, See Page 16. « 



heard by the pioneer, like the voice of 
the good angel, the echoes of the far 
ofE homeland. Its companionship has 
become a necessity to tte settler. He 
must see and feel the inspiiing influ- 
ence of its great strong untiring aifi, 
either in the mill, locomotive or steam- 
boat, else his sense of isolation will 
depress him. Energy, enterprise and 
rosy hope will lose their inspiring in- 
fluence the very moment his simplest 
phjsical necessities are supplied, un- 
less he can receive his daily inspiration 
which the knowledge of the near pres- 
ence of this ^reat fiery 

ANGEL OF PKOGBESS 

gives him. He must have it either 
from some mill in sight or see the fly- 
ing locomotive or swift gliding steam- 
boat in its season. In some way he 
must feel its presence and in his lone- 
liness have its companionship. Plain, 
monotonous and almost stolid as— to 
the uninitiated— the frontier settler's 
life may seem, he is really the most 
imaginative of men. By his isolation 
from neighbors or active communities 
he is left largely to his own thoughts, 
and the opportunities which his very 
surroundings give him suggest im- 
provements and give birth to plans of 
future developments. But he sees so 
much to do, so much that must be 
done before his ideas can reach a!near 
or even distant fruition that he is apt 
to give it up as impossible, if he did 
not see and feel that the untiring 



friend of all his hopes was near him 
and his. There is not a whistle of a 
locomotive or a steamboat that sounds 
across the prairies or through the 
forests of the land, but that cheers 
some seemingly lonely soul with its 
inspiring sound ; telling him to hurry, 
for close behind, come neighbors, 
schools, churches and markets for all 
he can produce, which will secure him 
independence and fulfillment of that 
desire natural to the hearts of all true 
men, viz: complete self-ownership. 
There is not a single click of the tele- 
graph in any of the little wayside sta- 
tions, even in the most seemingly out 
of the way places that does not enter 
into and become a part of the pulsa- 
tion of progress. It was truly said 
centuries ago that man does not live 
and develop by bread alone. Of no 
class Is this more true than the Pio- 
neer. Thisgreatfact was truly shown 
in the development of this Province. 
For 50 years and more all the progress 
that had been made, was only advanc- 
ed to the semi-nomadic or hunting 
state, or at most, to a partially pastoral 
condition. Although the AU-Wiae 
had laid out tbe great water courses, 
the ready highways of navigaUon, all 
through this great northwest, it was 
not until the summer cf 1859 that the 
civilizing ai.gel 

EMBODIED IN STEAM 

first visited the Province, coming 
down the Bed River from the States, 



in the shape of the steamboat " Anson 
Northup." The only motive power 
invoked heretofore to aid man, was 
wind mills. The engines and machin- 
ery for this boat were brought across 
the State of Minnesota the previous 
winter from the Upper Mississippi 
above the Falls of St. Anthony, where 
Minneapolis now is. The lumber for 
her hull and upper works was sawed 
out by one of her engines where she 
was built on the banks of the Red 
Eiver in Minnesota. 

A GREAT BOUND OF JOT 

filled the heart of the settlers, both 
half breeds and whites at her appear- 
ance. The great want of the human 
heart and mind was satisfied and a 
desire filled the hearts of both the 
civilized white and the semi-civilized 
half breed, to be connected with the 
great, progressive, civilized world of 
mankind, developed a yearning that 
never wa9 satisfied, until the after 
years gave them a regular communi- 
cation with the pulsations of that 
greater, higher and better world from 
which they had so long been separated 
and so desired to know. Although 
that boat continued to make irregular 
trips that season, she was accidentally 
sunk the following year. Steam navi- 
gation on this river lacked a connect- 
ing link, at that time, of nearly 800 
miles. The boat was never raised and 
repaired, but her engines and machin- 
ery were taken out and one of her 
engines was put in a mill that is still 
doing good service in the Province. 
It wa*not until 1872 when this missing 
link was supplied, by the building of 
the Northern Pacific Railway from 
Duluth on Lake Superior, to the Red 
Elver, that steamt'navigation began to 
run with much regularity. 

Since then the number of boats has 
steadily increased until there are now, 
in the waters of the Province and its 
tributary trade, 

A FLEET OF SEVENTEEN STEAMEES. 

They are the International, Manitoba, 
Dakota, Silkirk, Minnesota and four- 
teen barges of 1800 tons capacity of the 
Kittson or Red River Transportation 
Co., which will rua from the Northern 
Pacific Railway, crossing the Red 
River at Fargo, and from Fisher's 
Landing, on the Red Lake River, the 
terminus of a branch of the St. Paul & 
Pacific railway, on that river, down 
the Red to Manitoba. The steamer 
■'Grandin," an independant boat, own- 
ed by the Great Grandin Farm, on the 
Red River, 30 miles below or north of 
Fargo. The above are American boats 
—and the "Alpha" and "Cheyenne," 
of the Winnipeg and Western Trans- 
portation;Co.,running in the Assineboin 
and lower Red River,, together with 
the Swallow, Prince Rupert, Keewatin, 
Ellen and a new boat just buUding, 
which will also run in the lower Red. 
These are Canadian boats, while a boat 
IS nearly finished to run on Lake Maa- 
itola. 

PEOPELLOB "COLVILLE," 

that runs up Lake Winnipeg to their 
various posts and forms a connection at 
the mouth of the Saskatchewan with 
their two river steamers, the Northcote 
and Lilly, the latter a steel hull. These 
two boats are the beginning of a regular 
line up the latter river. Beside the 
above named boats two other boats 
have been built, one for the Red River 
called the "Maggie," now used as a 
barge and the "Chief Commissioner," 
for the lake trade; the latter's model 
bemg defective, she is now doing duty 
as a river wharf boat. So that in all 
there are and have been some 19 steam- 



[1*] 

ers in these waters. The regular pas- 
senger steamers of the these lines are 
models of beauty, speed and comfort,- 
with oflBcers who are gentlemen as well 
as thorough and experienced boat- 
men. 

The Red River has 600 miles of con- 
tinuous navigation, though by land 
direct, such being the tortuous course 
ot that stream, the terminal points 
could be made in about 300 miles. 
Besides there are some 75 miles navi- 
gation the season through up the Red 
Lake River. Below the junction of 
these two streams there are no obstruc- 
tions to the navigation of the Red 
River, except at extremely low water, 
there being one Or two troublesome 
places above Winnipeg and two below. 
These places being all in the Province 
and easily remedied, they will no 
doubt soon receive the attention of the 
Dominion Government. On the Red 
River above the Red Lake River are a 
few places troublesome at low water 
but as the United States Government 
is already at work removing these 
difficulties, it is only a matter of short 
time, when navigation on this r'.ver 
from the Northern Pacific railway 
crossing, down into the Province at 
any rate, will be free from any obstruc- 
tion at any stage of water yet known 
in the river. 

As said elsewhere the course of the 

ASSINNEBOINE 

through the Province is to the west, 
and so continues for some distance be- 
yond its borders on and into the North- 
west Territory, when it turns almost 
directly north. Its entire length is 
some 800 miles. 

There could very easily be made 
some 600 miles of navigation through 
the season on this stream with some 
very slight improvements. The most 
difficult place is 30 miles up from its 
juncture with the Red River, which 
can be easUy and cheaply remedied, so 
that navigation could be carried up 
some 300 miles of river distance, as it 
is now during the high or spring 
stage of water. This improvement 
would greatly benefit the Province, as 
the settlements are almost continuous 
for the first 100 miles from its mouth. 
In its Northwest course through the 
Province it makes a sharp bend to the 
North, so that with some 9 miles of 
easy canaling, navigation could ba 
opened by this River and Canal through 
Lakes Manitoba and Winuipegosis to 
the Saskatchewan, above the Rapids 
and so to the Rocky Mountains. That 
this win be done, is only a question of 
time. About 75 miles up from where 
the Assinneboine turns to the North, 
the Qu'AppeUe River enters it ; its 
course is mostly westerly and extends 
almost to the South branch of the Sas- 
katchewan. The project of uniting 
these two streams is already broached 
(the distance between them being only 
a few miles,) and entirely feasible. The 
Qu'Appelle must be fully as long as 
the Assinneboine. Its valley is one of 
great beauty and fertility, and quite 
well wooded most of its length. It fre- 
quently enlarges into considerable 
lakes, which are filled with the finest 
fish, among which are found the choice 
white fish in great numbers. 

At or very ne.ar the mouth of the 
Saskatchewan, are rapids known as the 
"Grand Rapids," that extend some 
two and a half to three miles with a 
total fall of 43J feet. These are not 
continuous but in series or sections, 
hence easy of improvement by a sys- 
tem of locks, which will doubtless in 
a few years be built by the Canadian 



Government, as the stretch of naviga- 
tion above them in this river is too con- 
siderable, aggregating fuUy 2,500 miles. 
The H. B. Company have built a 
railway some four miles in length 
around these rapids. As yet the 

H. B. COMPANY'S STEAMERS 

on the lake and the Saskatchewan 
carry only the officials or the employes 
of that company and their own freight, 
but I think I hazard nothing in saying 
that the great additional outlay in 
building this railway, putting on care, 
etc , is not simply for the transporta- 
tion of thek own business, large as it 
is, but is rather preliminary to the 

OPENING OF THAT ROUTE 

to general travel and transportation, 
which cannot fail of rapidly growing 
to a trade of great profit. This river as 
its name implies, viz : " Rapid Run- 
ning River," is not to be compared 
with that of the Mississippi or Red 
Rivers. For between the head of un- 
interrupted navigation of the Missis- 
sippi at St. Paul and the Gulf of Mexico 
—a river distance of 2,200 miles— the 
fall is only 800 feet, and of the Red from 
the Northern Pacific to Winnipeg, a 
channel distance of 500 miles, the fall 
is but 170 feet ; while in the Saskatche- 
wan from Edmonton to Lake Winni- 
peg, 1,200 miles by river the fall is 1,783 
feet, or three times the rapidity of the 
Mississippi or Red River currents. The 
Missouri River is more like it, still in 
the upper Missouri, above Bismark, the 
present western terminus of the North- 
ern Pacific, the most rapid point of that 
river and up the Yellowstone River, 

TWENTY-SEVEN STEAMERS 

have been regularly running this sea- 
son, so there is no doubt but that both 
branches of the Saskatchewan will 
soon be open to navigation as the north 
or lesser branch now is. 1 neglected to 
say that this river is one stream for 
some 450 miles from its mouth before 
it divides into its two branches. To 
give a better comprehensive idea of the 
size of this stream, I would say that 
taking the length of the main streata 
and its two branches together it is only 
some 350 miles shorter than the Nile, 
A word as to the steamers on this 

RIVER AND LAKE ROUTE 

from Winnipeg. The Colville is a new 
and very staunch propeller, built more 
like an immense tug or small ocean 
steamer, than like the propellors of the 
great lakes. Her usual time from 
Grand Rapids, at the Saskatchewan, 
some 50 miles south of the foot or out- 
let of the lake to the '■ lower fort," some 
20 miles below Winnipeg, a full 275 
miles including all stoppages at the H, 
B Company's posts on the lake, is 30 
hours. The "Northcote" made her 
first run this spring from above the 
Grand Rapids to Fort Edmonton and 
return, with a full cargo both ways in 
30 days, a full river distance of 2,500 
miles. This I presume was only day- 
light running. 

It was my good fortune to be one of a 
large excursion party on the steamer 
"Manitoba," that left Winnipeg on 
the evening of the 3d of July, 1877 went 
down Red River to Lake Winnipeg, 
and returned next morning. The 
Manitoba was the first passenger boat 
that ever entered its waters. I wUl 
waive saying anything here of the 
thoughts that filled my mind during 
the time so spent. It was also nay 
privilege to see a few days after, 

THE FIRST REGATTA 

ever held in the waters of the Province. 
The starting and winning stakes were 




on the south bank of the Assinneboine 
at its junction with the Red Eiver, the 
site of old Fort La Rouge. It too, 
like the excursion was a success. 

Simultaneously with the connection 
of the Province with the outer world 
by steam, came also the connection by 
telegraph. Fort Edmonton is now in 
comieetion with New York, London 
and Paris by telegraph. 

Thus was 1872 made a 

RED LETTER YEAR 

in the annals of Manitoba. The great- 
est practical, and the subtlest forces in 
human control, the annihilators of 
space and time, came with many other 
assisting influences that year, to mark 
it as the especial one in which, full 
harnessed in the train of human pro- 
gress, Manitoba and her dependencies 
entered the arena of progressive, civi- 
lized life, to engage henceforth with 
the most favored of her competitors in 
the 

STKUGGLE FOR EMPIKB. 

Taking the present 600 miles of 
navigation on the Red River, the 100 
miles on the Red Lake River, about 
800 miles at present utilized on the 
Assineboin, 300 miles on {^ake Winni- 
peg and 2,500 miles on the Saskatche- 
wan, makes in one system, a line of 
some 3800 Miles of continuotis navi- 

rtion, in which, as before said, there 
to-day a fleet of seventeen steamers 
with their accompanying barges. 

RED RIVER AND LAKE 
SUPERIOR CANAL. 

By means of easy improvement in 
the Red Lake River— (an eastern trib- 
utary, Jn the States, of the Red. 
which"' at its junction is much the 
largest stream)— by dams and slack 
water, with an artificial canal of only 
eo miles, can this present 3800 miles, 
and possibly 4800 miles, of navigation 
he connected with 



LAKE AND OCKAN NAVIGATION 

at Duluth, Minn., on Lake Superior, 
thus affording a continuous water con- 
nection with the seaboard at Montreal, 
by the Welland and St. Lawrence 
Canals, and by the Erie Canal from 
Buffalo, N. Y., to New York City. The 
distance from the Bed River to Lake 
Superior by this connecting link is 
about the same as the Erie Canal, 
while the lockage will be less. That 
this improve (tent wUl soon be made 
there is no doubt. ArrangementB are 
quite completed to make this year a 
practical survey, a preliminary one 
having already been made. Its con- 
struction will be 

A NECESSITY, 

by the time it can be built, even if 
construction were begun at once, for 
the area of which it would be the out- 
let, both in the States and Canada, is 
immense. By it wheat can be taken 
from any Red River point to Duluth 
at 5 cents per bushel, and from Duluth 
to New York City or Montreal at 6 
cents per bushel, or wheat and flour 
respectively from Duluth to Liverpool 
(England) for 18 cents per bushel; 90 
cents per barrel. These are perfectly 
safe estimates for through rates (as 
present rates are very near it) whea 
the enlargements now being made, in 
the Sault St. Mary Canal, connecting 
Lakes Superior and Huron and the 
Welland and St. Lawrence River sys- 
tems of canals, connecting 

THE GKEAT LAKES WITH THE OCEAN, 

aie flnished, as they soon will be, even 
before the Red Lake River Canal could 
be built, even if work was at once be- 
gun on it. Then, again, there is an- 
other possible route for this great in- 
land system of navigation by the River 
Nelson, the outlet of Lake Winnipeg 
to and 

THROUGH HUDSON'S BAY. 

Long as this article on Navigation is, I 
deem it of the greatest importance, for 



experience demonstrates, beyond ques- 
tion, that for long distances, at least, 
rail transportation as against water 
bears no comparison. , Water ways, 
not railways, are the 

fajrmer's friends. 
Every cent savtd on the transporta- 
tion of a bushel of wheat adds a prac- 
tical value of at least $2 per acre to hi8 
land; that is, taking the product of 
wheat at the low average in thw lati- 
tude of 20 bushels per acre, each cent 
per bushel saved in transportation is 
10 per cent interest on $3 per acre. 
Take a saving of 5, 10 or 15 cents per 
bushel over present or possible raU 
rates for the same distance to Lake Su- 
perior and see how pra otical.real values 
of farm lands are increased. Verily, 
as aforesaid, for the farmer great is a 
good system of navigation, and no sec- 
tion of equal area 

ON THE GLOBE 

has such a complete and thorough sys- 
tem of navigation (extending to its 
very remotest limits, and aU harmon- 
ious in two systems, almost every mile 
of which is through a garden of fertil- 
ity and a clunate the perfection of 
healthfulness) as the Canadian North- 

I say two systems, for I have made 
no especial mention of the great Mac- 
kenzie River system, formed of the 
Athabasca, Peace, Slave and the Mac- 
kenzie itself, which is of an equal, if 
not a greater, number of navigable 
miles; beside there are other large 
rivers and lakes. 

The Mackenzie having an Arctic 
outlet, the navigation of this systena 
will doubtless come up its two princi- 
pal southern tributaries, the Athabasca 
and Peace, whose valleys at no distant 
day will be connected with the Winni- 
peg system by railways, most likely by 
the Canadian Pacific Railway, though 
its present location is a little south of 
the warm, fertile valleys of the last two 



streams. But it is at least probable that 
this raUway when eonatrwcted, west 
from Manitoba to the Pacific, will cross 
these valleys at points where their nav- 
igation will be made tributary, thus 
will the two great navigation systems 
be united. 

RAILWAYS. 

Early in December, 1878, the first 
railway train crossed the southern 
bDundary of Manitoba, and a junction 
was formed with the Pembina or south- 
em branch of the Canadian Pacific 
Railway, on which the steel rails were 
already laid from the main line some 
90 milps north. The railway thus com- 
pleting the connection of this great 
Canadian Northwest with the entire 
railway system of the Continent, was 
the 

SAINT PAUL AND PACIFIC RAILWAY, 

which la the only one bnilt to Mani- 
toba. This great corporation, now op- 
erating 574 m'les, with an additional 
100 miles under construction, has for 
the past year or so been uader the con- 
trol of Canadiari parties associated with 
Minnesota capitalists and local man- 
agers, urder whose management it has 
awakened to new life. They have 
pushed fully 200 miles of its construc- 
tion t*^e past year with great vigor. It 
is 420 miles from the international 
boundary line to St. Paul, Minnesota, 
where connpction is made with the 
Chipagfiand Milwaukee railways, over 
which direct connections are made 
with ftirCanadian railways at Detroit. 
Among othpra of the twelve roads cen- 
terine at gt. Paul is the St. Paul and 
Duluth Railway to Lake Superior at 
Duluth. One hundred and fifty-eight 
miles south of the boundary, at Glyn- 
don, Minnesota, it crosses the North- 
ern Pacific. No better passenger cars 
and sleppprs will ba found on any rail- 
way from the seaboard citios than 
those which the St. P. & P. Rv- furn- 
ishes its passengers. It is 64 miles 
from the boundary line to Winnip?g, 
or 484 miles from St. Paul to Winni- 
peg. The through running time be- 
tween these points will be from 20 to 
24 hours. Through tickets to Winni- 
peg over the St. P. & P. can be ob- 
tained at all leading railway points in 
Canada and the United States. 

Soon Manitoba will be the central 
gem in the developed States or Provin- 
ces, that will be strung along the line 
of the 

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY. 

From information kindly given me 
by James H. Rowan Esq., the engi- 
neer in charge of the Central ofHces and 
construction in Winnipeg, and from 
the report on the surveys, etc., by the 
Chief Engineer, Sandford FlemingEsq., 
to the Dominion Parliament, I obtain 
the following items of this 

GREAT enterprise: 

The first money appropriated by the 
Dominion Parliament for the surveys 
etc., was in the session of 1871. The 
eastern terminus of the line is fixed at 
Lake Nipissing, the source of French 
River, situated about east from the 
northeast corner of Lake Huron, into 
which French River empties. From 
Lake Nipissing west, the line is pro- 
jected to go north of Lake Superior, 
crossing the Red River at or near Win- 
nipeg, passing into and up the valley 
of the north branch of the Saskatche- 
wan, past Battleford and Fort Edmon- 
ton through the yellow head pass at 
Jasper House and so down the Rocky 



[16] 

MountaJnsto the Pacific, either at Bute construction of this railway also oar- 
or Burrard Inlet. From ries with, and as a part of it 



LAKE NIPISSING BAST, 

connection will be made by the Cana- 
dian Central Railway (a subsidized 
line) to Ottawa, Montreal, etc., and by 
a railway north from Toronto. Both 
of these lines are being rapidly built 
and during the year they will both 
doubtless reach their western terminus 
at Lake Nipissing. 

THE DISTANCE 

from Lake Nipissing by the route above 
given to the Pacific at Burrard Inlet is 
2,500 miles, or to Bute Inlet, 2,600 
miles. 

THE MAIN LINE 

has three branches or sours ; the most 
easterly being west, from Lake Nipis- 
sing to the mouth of French River 
on Lake Huron, the second one 
to the waters of Lake Supe- 
rior at Thunder Bay, almost half 
the distance of that Lake from 
east to west and on its northern shore. 
The third being also south, by the 
valley of the Red River on its eastern 
side, to the north boundary of the 
United States, where it connects 
with the St. Paul and Pacific Railway, 
and by this Railway, is the Canadian 
Pacific at present connected with the 
railway system of the States. On 
the surveys of this railway over 
$3,000,000 have already been expend- 
ed. Desiring to get the very 
best location over this route, the sur- 
veys have been most thorough. From 
the time of the first surveys in 1871, to 
December 1878, there have been over 
46,000 miles of survey and observations 
made, over 12,000 miles being measured 
yard by yard. 

THE WHOLE LINE 

may be said to be practically located, 
though not oflficially as yet determined 
on. The profile of the line, 2,200 miles 
west from Thunder Bay to the Pacific, 
shows the greatest summit on the line 
at Yellowhead Pass, to be only 3,646 
feet above the sea. While the summit 
on the Union and Central Pacific Line 
in the States, shows going west, four 
summits of 8,242 feet, 7,835 feet, 6,118 
feet, and 7,017 feet, respectively. The 
highest point on the Canadian Pacific 
Railway is of a lower elevation than 
from any point on the U. P. or C. P. 
Railway, from the North Platte to a 
little east of Sacramento, California; 
with an average of only 2,200 feet for 
the same distance on theU. P. & C. P. 
line in the States. 

The 1,200 miles from Thunder Bay 
to Edmonton on the Saskatchewan 
are officially located. It is 410 miles 
from Thunder Bay to Red River, of 
which distance 113 miles at each end is 
nearly fini^hed, the remaining 184 
miles having just been contracted for, to 
be done in two years. Steel rails with the 
necessary fish plates, bolts and spikes 
are already paid for and delivered at 
Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, besides a 
considerable quantity of the same, has 
been delivered on the Pacific coast. 

THE WORK OF CONSTRUCTION 

was begun during the summer of 1875, 
at Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, both 
grading and track laying. The ears 
are running on the Pembina branch, 
90 mUes, there connecting with the St. 
Paul & Pacific ra Iway, and fully 200 
miles on the Red River and T under 
Bay ends. This 184 miles embraces 
a great deal of rock cutting and 
bridging, in fact it is the most 
difficult part of the entire line save por- 
tions in the Rocky Mountains. The 



A LINB OF TELEGRAPH, 

which is all under contract and con- 
struction, from Thunder Bay through 
to the Pacific. The wire is all fur- 
nished, paid for and delivered. It 
is finished from Thunder Bay west to 
Fort Edmonton, and is now in opera- 
tion. 

A word here as tb the con- 
structiOH of the Telegraph, may 
give a better idea of what a 
work it is when it is known that a 

£art of the contract of building the 
line, is to cut down and burn all tim- 
ber, when it passes through timber, 
to the width of 132 feet. It is mainly 
a timber country along the line from 
Winnipeg ta Thunder Bay. 

This Railway is backed by a large 
Land Grant and a very liberal Gov- 
ernment subsidy. Does any one 
doubt, that in this nineteenth century, 
a railway of such easy grades, 
through a country combining either 
such fertile soil or mineral wealth 
along its entire extent, will ever be 
built— on a line too, probably the most 
perfectly surveyed of any yet at- 
tempted ; or that it can be op rated at 
a profit, when the heavy grad s, great 
snow fall &c., of that successful won- 
der, the Union and Central Pacific 
Railway are, and have been paying 
so largely ? 
It is the well known 

IMPERIAL DEMAND 

of the English Government, as well as 
the entire British trade policy to have 
all its avenues of commerce either un- 
der disown j^a^-, or where it can pro- 
tect and defend the same. The garri- 
sons of Gibralter, Malta, Cyprus, and 
many other points are held and main- 
tained for commercial purposes as al- 
so was the recent purchase of the Suez 
Canal stock. The Pacific Riilway of 
Canada gives the shortest rail and 
ocean terminal distances and lowest 
grades of any of the American Pacific 
routes and the sooner the people of 
the States make up their mind to the 
fact of its speedy building, (proposals 
for constructing the entire line have 
already been advertised for) and en- 
deavor to build competing lines, or put 
themselves in favorable connection 
with it, the wiser will they act. 

The construction and successful 
operation of the Union and Central 
Pacific railways in the States has de- 
monstrated beyond question that for 
the English trade with CUna, Japan, 
etc., its proper route is by rail across 
this continent. This is especially so 
when time, the present commercial 
factor is taken into consideration. 
The Canadian Pacific will shorten 
present distances fully 1500 miles and, 
as af oresaid,,by it their commerce can 
be kept unde'r their own flag. It is an 
error to look upon this great under- 
taking as simply the enterprise of a 
comparatively small Dominion of 
some 4,000,00*. people, for its constEucfc- 
ion and operation is harmonious with 
both the government and mercantile 
policy of 

THE GREAT BBITISH EMPIRE 

Beside, along its line is opened up a 
most desirable country for settlement,, 
thus affording a safe and easy solu- 
tion of a question that at present lays 
close and heavy upon both the 
thoughtful English statesman and cit- 
izen, viz: How to hold and at the- 
same time provide for their surpluff; 
population. 



THE SIX GOVERNMENT 
OFFICES 

of so many different departments of 
the Djminion Government as are rep- 
resented in the province, make the 
following exhibits, all of which show 
a cheering increase from year to year. 
A word of explanation, I would 
here give in regard to the Djminior 
Savings Bank, and that is that there 
are none save at such points as they 
have Deputy Receiver Generals, 
which are usually in connection with 
the Dominion land oflSces. I would 
also here take the opportunity to note 
what a difference it makes in public 
ofiScers, whether their continuance in 
such ofiacse is for an uncertain time, 
depending upon the re-election of 
their member of congress or senator, 
or the influence he may have after he 
gets there, as in the United States, 
where appointments are made wholly 
for political reasons ; or as it is in Can- 
ada, where they are made for life or 
good behaviour, and where efiSciency, 
diligence and courtesy form the 
reasons for their continued retention 
and advancement. I have yet to meet 
the first Dominion or Provincial oflic- 
ial, who was not at least oflacially a 
gentleman, 

THE CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT 

of Manitoba makes the following ex- 
hibit: 

"Manitoba was admitted into the 
confederation of the Dominion of Can- 
ada on the 15th of July, 1870. The new 
Custom House was completed in the 
autumn of 1875 and occupied in April 
following. The following are the 
present oflBcers: G. B. Spencer, collect- 
or; John Emslee, chief clerk; G. H. 
TouHg, C. N. Bell, clerks; C. U. 
Lindsav, appraiser; R. 1. Jones, G. 
D. Mc Vicar, landing waiters. 

Out-post at North Pembina, P. T. 
Bradley, deputy collector; Wm. Mills, 
landing waiter and clerk; and E.G. 
Simcox. 

Out-DOst at York Factory, Hudson 
Bay, Joseph Portescue. deputy col- 
lector. 

Out-post opposite Smuggler Point, 
N. T., W. P. Leslie, preventive officer. 

The above out-posts are under the 
survey of the collector of customs, 
Port of Winnipeg. The old Assinne- 
boine tariff of 4 per cent ad valorem, 
and 25ceats per gallon on ale, wine 
and spirits, was continued in force till 
the 30th June, 1874, subsequent to that 
date the Dominion tariff of 17 J per 
cent, ad valorem, on general goods 
and on spirits of $1.20 per imperial 
gallon etc., has been in force. All 
goods imported from Great Britain, 
pay the same rate of duty as from any 
foreign country. 

Below find statement of the ad va- 
lorem value of goods annually import- 
ed into this Province, and the duty 
collected thereon, between the 15th 
July 1870 and the 30th June 1872, and 
each subsequent year except that of 
1877: 

Foreign Duty 

goods. thereon. 

To 30tli June, '72, 3 years . .$1,413,685.00 $17,b39.90 

To30th June, '73, 1 year... 1,023,130.00 48,073.45 

To 30bh June, '74, 1 year. . . 2,953,659.00 87,473.97 

To 3Uth June, '75, 1 year. . . 1,2-27,905.00 171,420.86 

To 3Ulii June, '76, 1 year . . . 1,735,425.00 253,045.38 

To 30th June, '77, 1 year. . . 1,214,833.00 192,480.23 

To SOtli June, '78, 1 year. . . 1,171,105.00 223,530.18 

To 31st Deo., '78,6 months, 452,490.00 91,059.32 

The above is exclusive of duty paid 
on goods received from the other Prov- 
inces of the dominion. 

BXPCKTS TO ffOBEIGN OOONTBIEB. 

For year ending 30th June, 1872 $123,693.00 

For year ending 30th June, 1873 296.695.00 

For year ending 30th June, 1874 797,782.00 

For year ending 30th June, 1876 688, 968. 00 



[IT] 

For year ending 30th June, 1876 770,288.00 

For year ending 3uth June, 1877 653,816.00 

For year ending 30th June, 1878 725,898.00 

For 6 moB. ending Slat Dec, 1878 386,167.00 

Large quantities of furs are now 
sent to Canadian markets, and so do 
not appear in the regular exports, but 
wheat, etc., is taking the place of the 
fiir, which accounts for the total value 
of exports remaining about the same. 

A rough series of statistics kept in 
this office gives the following as the 
value of goods brought here from 
other ports of Canada: 

For 1 year ending 30th June, 1875. . . * 637,774.00 
For 1 year ending 30th June, 1878 . . . 1,374,311.00 

The latter table shows the growth of 
interprovincial traae. Their current 
year, from Julv 1, 1878, to July 1, 1879, 
shows to date, March 1st, a large in- 
crease over last year. 

Navigation is still kept up by the 
Hudson Bay Co. in Hudson's Bay 
(Arctic Ocean), some five vessels per 
year coming in there, but as the out 
port of Ycrk Factory, at the mouth of 
Nelson River (the outlet of Lake Win- 
nipeg), is the only port there, in the 
Winnipeg Customs District, I can 




agent, do; Portage La Prairie, Au- 
gustus Mills, do; Emerson, George 
Newcomb, do ; Pembina Mountain, H. 
Landerkin, do ; Little Saskatchewan, 
Alex. Jaffrey, do ; G. F. Newcomb and 
A. Nesbit, timber inspectors ; Winni- 
peg office, R. H. Hunter, accountant, 
M. Wood, A. Sabine and A. E. Fisher, 
clerks, and H. Powell, messenger. 

The survey office, also accommoda- 
ted in the same building, is in charge 
of Mr. A. D. Whitcher, D. L. S. inspec- 
tor of surveys, assisted by C. D. Rick- 
ards, draughtsman. 

The Dominion Land Office was cre- 
ated by act of Parliament passed on 
the 14th of April, 1873, and the office 
at Winnipeg was opened in the follow- 
ing summer. Since that time the fol- 
lowing lands have been taken up : 



ooo E? 



* * » 



» a 






I III! 



M.B. 
Warrants. 
No. of Acres. 

Forest tree 

Cultwe. 

No. of Acres. 



Grand total. 



Il 



is 

l! 



ENGINE AND HOOK AND LAD- 
DER HOUSE. See Page 26. 



only give the figures from there. Its 
exports, furs mostly, are about $90,000 
to $100,000, and imports, of course, 
much less. 

The following is a statement of the 
business, officers, and opportunities 
offered by the 

DOMINION LAND DEPARTMENT, 

in Manitoba and the Northwest : 

The Dominion land office, Winnipeg, 
was erected in the summer of 1875 for 
the accomodation of the government 
offices for the survey and granting of 
the lands in the Northwest Territor- 
ies. 

JThese lands are under the control of 
a special branch of the Department of 
the Interior. The Rt. Hon. Sir John A. 
McDonald, Premier and M inister of the 
Interior, being the responsible head, 
and L-ndsay Russell, Surveyor Gen- 
eral, chief of the branch, charged with 
the survey, settlement and manage- 
ment of all lands vested in the Do- 
minion Government. 

The offices at Winnipeg, with branch 
offices at Emerson, Portage La Prairie, 
Little Saskatchewan and Pembina 
Mountain, have the disposal of these 
lands, each being in charge of an 
agent and the following staff: 

Winnipeg, Donald Codd, agent of 
Dom. Lands, A. J. Belch, asst. agent 
of Dom. Lands, Roger Goulet, local 



Showing a gain of over 50 per cent 
from 1877. 

The above table does not include 
the 1,400,000 acres allotted to the half- 
breeds, under Manitoba act, which 
have already be«n made. 

When it is considered that the total 
area of the lands known to be fit for 
cultivation is estimated at 375,184,000 
acres, of which 10,660,369 acres are al- 
ready surveyed, it will be seen that the 
amount taken up is comparatively tri- 
fling. 

The Dominion Homestead law is of 
the^most liberal chara iter. Every ac- 
tual settler is entitled to.enter one quar- 
ter section of 160 acres as a homestead, 
for which he receives a patent on 
proof of three years residence and cul- 
tivation. 

He may at the same time enter 
by pre-emption, any adjacent quarter 
section, the patent for which will is- 
sue to him on payment of $1 00 per 
acre, when he has completed his home- 
stead duties and he may enter a quart- 
er section for forest tree cultivation 
and obtain a Tree Patent for it at the 
expiration of six years, on proof of 
having planted ten acres of trees dur- 
ing four years subsequent to the year 
of entry. 

Even more liberal terms than the 
above can be made with the approval 
of the Minister of the Interior in case 
of immigrants who come in communi- 
ties, or under the auspices of societies, 
&c , &c. 

The ordinary Dominion Lands are 
open for sale at the rate of one dollar 
per acre, payable in cash, script or mil- 
itary bounty warrants. 



[18] 



POST OFFICE 

TBbe following is an exhibit of the 
PoBt Ofllce business for Manitoba: 

The postal service in Manitoba was 
assimilated with the postal service in 
the other provinces of the Dominion 
In the year 1871. 

There are now in Manitoba and 
ITorthwest Territories 67 post offices, 
which are supplied by 1438 miles of 
mail route, the annual travel of the 
mail being 84,438 miles. 

Thepoatal revenue is about $15,000 
per annum, of which $10,000 is collect- 
ed in Winnipeg. 

Closed bags are made up daily and 
received daily from Ontario, Canada- 
Mails are also exchanged daily to and 
from the United States, by railway. 

The money orders issued in Winni- 
peg yearly amount to about $45,000 ; 
and the money orders paid to about 
$40,000. The total issued and paid 
being about $85,000. 

ThestafE of the Winnipeg post office 
consists of William Hargrave, Post- 
master; J. 0. Poitras, Charles Des- 
ormier, L. O. Borget and John Cowar, 
Clerks, 

There is a mail once in every three 
weeks between Winnipeg and Ed- 
monton, at the foot of the Rocky 
Mountains, a dititance of 1050 miles, 
« which supplies nine post offices in 
the Northwest Territory. 

The service which was established 
in August, 1876, has been performed 
by the contractor, the Hon. James Mc- 
Kay, with great regularity. The trip 
from Winnipeg to Edmonton and 
back occupies about six weeks. The 
bags are carried by wagon in sum- 
mer and dog trains in winter. A very 
large correspondence is carried over 
this route. By this contract for the 
present, at least, will the official cor- 
respondence for the new government 
offices at Battleford have to be car- 
ried. A special and more frequent 
route from Winnipeg to that place will 
doubtless soon be let. 

THE KECEIVEE GENEKAL 

has his Headquarters at Ottawa, and 
office at Winnipeg, in the postofflce 
building. 

The office is in charge of H. M. 
Drummond, Acting Asst. Rec. Gen'l 
and Dominion Auditor. 

This gentleman is also an officer of 
the Audit and Savings Bank Depart- 
ment, all of which are carried on in 
the same office. 

The Receiving Office is for the issu- | 
anoe and redemption of Dominion 
notes, like the U. S. Greenbacks— also 
for the receiving and payment of Do- 
minion moneys in this official depart- 
ment, for construction of the Canada 
Pacific Railway, and other govern- 
ment expenses, such as salaries, etc. 
The money received amounting to 
about $750,000 from customs, sales of 
Dominion lands, etc., and the payment, 
as above, amounting to some $1,500,000 
per annum. 

The 

AUDIT OFFICE 

is for the auditing of all government 
payments in Manitoba and the North- 
west Territory. 
The 

SAVINGS BANK DEPAETMENT 

receives moneys from private individ- 
uals, on which it allows interest at the 
rate of 4 per cent per annum, subject 
to call. Since the establishment of 
this bank by the Government, three 
other leading banks of the Dominion 
have established branches in Winni- 
peg, which allow Ave per cent on 
small sums and six per cent on large 
amounts ,and who have it must be ad- 




[19] 



mitted. large savings account; stiH 
the old parent Government Savings 
Bank is so far, over last year, showing 
a large increase. 

THE ECCLESIASTIC AND ED- 
UCATIONAL 
privileges of this Province are a matter 
of surprise to most visitors. The 
work of the church here, both Catholic 
and Protestant is especially apparent, 
and the showing of successful results, 
is an index that it is and has been 
in judicious and energetic hands. The 
foundation of both- the Church and 
School are laid surprisingly broad for 
so young a Province, as the following 
list and exhibit of work done will 

^ The first church represented here 
was the Catholic, they having started 
a mission here as early as 18i», al- 
though priests of that church had been 
here iome 75 years before. Their first 
Cathedral, which had two towers or 
spires, was burned but. has been re- 
built of much larger size, but with 
only a central tower. Some 25 years 
since, John G. WMttier, the Qaaker 
poet of Massachusetts, visited this 
mission, and its peaceful, quiet sur- 
roundings, seemed to have impressed 
him much as it did me, as over it the 
Angel of Best of a better and truer 
life seems constantly to spread her 
pinions. After his return he wrote 
the following lines, in part suggested 
by its beautiful chime of bells which 
it still has: 

"Out and in the river is winding 
The links ol its long, red chain, 

Throngh heits of iasky pine -land 
And gusty leagues oi plain. 




ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE-BOYS SCHOOL. 



Only, at times, a smoie wreath _ 
Wit 



With his kindly, genial way, seems to 
make the above quoted words, partic- 
ularly appropriate, and to cause one 
to sincerely wish that "his days may 
be long in the land, which the Lord 
his God hath given him." 

NOTES ON ST. BONTFACE. 

The Red Kiver country. Province of 
Manitoba, was discovered by French 
Canadians. Sieur Varennes de la Ver- 
andrye, born at Three Rivers, Lower 
Canada, organized an expedition, at 
his own expense, in 1734, and traveled 
through the country, from Lake 
Superior to Eainy Lake, thence to the 



Vith the liltmg cloud-rack joins,- 
The smoke of the hunting lodges 



Ana one upou mo suu 

The Angel of Shadow gl 

That day shall be no i 



Of the wild Assinehoins. 

Drearily blows the north-wind 
From the land of ice and snow ; 

The eyes that look are weary, 
And heavy the hands that row. 

And with one foot on the water, 
And one upon the shore, 

f Shadow gives warning 
J more. 

Is it the clang of wild geese? 

lii it the Indian's yell, ^v. ■ y, 

That lends to the voice of the north-wind 

The tones of a far-ofE-bell? 

The voyageur smiles as he listens 
To the sound that grows apace ; 

Well he knows the ringihg 
Of the bells of St. Bomface. 

The bells of the Eomau Mission, 
That call from their turrets twain, 

To the boatman on the river, 
To the hunter on the plam ! 

Even so in our mortal journey 
The bitt«r north-winds blow, 

And thus upon life's Red River 
Our hearts, as oai-smen, row, 

And when the Angel of Shadow 
Kests his feet on wave and snore, 

And our eyes grow dim with watching. 
And our hearts faint at the oar, 

Happy is he who heareth 

The signal of his release 
In the bells of the Holy City, 

The chimes of eternal peace 1 

Of Bishop Tache, the Archbishop of 
this great dom«n, who resides at this 
Mission, . much, very much might be 
said. His travels, labors and ministry 
have been extensive, and acceptable, 
still a few words of the Psalmist, will 
better express him as he is, than any 
words of mine. " The steps of a good 
man are ordered by the Lord ; and he 
delighteth in his way. Mark the per- 
fect man, and behold the upright; for 
the end of that man is peace.' And 
80 it seems to be with him, in the 
peaceful air of this Mission, which. 



superior lo xvamy ±^<t^^, uuc^xv-^y —.- 
Lake of the Woods and down Wmni' 
peg River, to the lake of the same 
name ; up the river to the mouth of 
the Assinneboine, where he built Eort 
Rouge, on the point south of the river 
Assinneboine, almost opposite tte 
actual Port Garry. 

Mon. dela Verandrye,like all the dis- 
coverers of the time, had a missionary 
with him, and Rev. Eather Messager 
was the first minister of the gospel 
known as having visited this part of 
our continent. 

Mon.de la Verandrye was accompan- 
ied by three of his sons. One of them 
was murdered with his party and their 
missionary. Rev. father Amaud, by 
the Sioux, on Lake St. Croix, between 
Rainy Lake and Lake Superior. Two 
other sons of the old gentleman dis- 
covered the upper Missouri, from the 
Yellowstone. Accompanied by two 
servants, they crossed the country and 
were the first white men who saw and 
ascended the Rocky Mountains, north 
of the Missouri. The same gentlemen 
discovered the north branch of the 
Saskatchewan in its full length. 

The conquest of Canada by England, 
put a stop, for a long period, to a reg- 
uar French Canadian expedition in 
the wilderness of the northwest. The 
missionaries themselves, had to aban- 
don the country. The work of the Ro- 
man Catholic missionaries was re-as- 
sumed in 1818. Lord Silkirk, anxious 
to secure for his colony of Assinne- 
boine, the co-operation of the French 
Canadians disseminated in the coun- 
try, requested of the Bishop of Que- 
bec, the services of two priests. The 
Rev. J. N. Provencher and Severe Du- 
moulin, both French Canadian prieste 
of the diocese of Quebec, were asked 
by their Bishop for the important and 
difficult task. They wUlingly accepted 
the proposal, started in birch camoes 
from i&ntreal, and landed at Point 



Douglas, now Winnipeg, on the 16th 
of July, 1818. They soon after croMed 
the river, and began the settlement oi 
St. Boniface. The name, that of tne 
Apostle of Germany, was given to the 
settlement as a compliment to the Cath- 
olic German soldiers who had accom- 
panied Lord Silkirk, and who were lo- 
cated around Point St. Boniface. 

Rev. Mr. Dumoulin went to Pembi- 
na, where there was, at the time, a 
large settlement of French CanadiMi 
half-breeds, who left in 1834, to estab- 
lish the settlement of St. Francois 
Xavier, on the Assinneboine river. 

Rev. Mr. Provencher remained in 
St. Boniface until his death, which oc- 
cured on the 7th of June, 1853. He was 
consecrated bishop in 1822, and, coMe- 
quently, was thirty-tiiree years Bishop 
of St. Boniface. He sent missionaries 
to the Saskatchewan country, to Ath- 
abaska, British Columbia and Oregon. 
The establishment of St. Boniface may 
be considered as the mother of many 
missions, the head-quarters of the im 
mense field which extends to the Paci- 
fic and Arctic oceans. 

Bishop Provencher began the Col- 
lege of St. Boniface in his own house, 
and he, himself, all his lifetime, uni- 
ted the teaching of chUdren with his 
numerous and important occupations. 
The same bishop established the con- 
vent of St. Boniface occupied by Sis- 
ters of Charity, generally known as 
the Grey lifuns of Montreal. The 
foundress of their order, Madame D 
Youville, began the formation of her 
community at the same time that her 
uncle, Mon. de la Verandrye made the 
discovery of the country in which four 
of her Sistors arrived in 1844 



Although they were caUed upon 
chiefly for the instruction of youth, 
the Sisters have constantly exercised 
corporal works of mercy; take charge 
of the aged, infirm and orphans; visit 
and attend the sick. 

In the course of time several branch- 
es of the same establishment were 
formed, and some extend to the Sas- 
katchewan, and even to the banks of 
McKenzie's river, over 2,000 miles from 
St. Boniface. 

After the death of Bishop Proven- 
cher, Bishop Tache, who had been hiB 
coadjutor, succeeded him to the bee 
of St. Bonifice. The diocese of St, 
Boniface, at first, comprehended an 
immense extent of territory ; it is now 
divided, and was created as an Arch- 



V ' ' / V I* "* 




diocese in 1871. Bishop Tache was, at 
tne same time, named Archbishop. 
* The-new ecclesiastical province of 
St. Boniface comprehends the arehni- 
ooese of the same name, the diocese of 
St. Albert, on the Saskatchewan, pre- 
sided over by Bishop Grandin; the 
districts of Athabaska and McKenzie, 
under Bishops Parand and Glut, and 
British Columbia under Bishops 
a Herbomer and Durieux, 

Archbishop Tache has been in the 
country for 34 years, partly among the 
Indians of the far north and partly at 
St. Boniface. It is a queer circum- 
stance that Archbishop Tache, who is 
by his mother, a great grand-nephew to 
the sixth generation of M. Varennes 
de la Verandrye, who discovered Eed 
Kiver, is also, by his father, great 
grand-son to the sixth generation of 
Mr. JoUette, the celebrated discoverer 
of the Mississippi. 

St. Boniface is nicely situated, on 
the east side of the Red Eiver, oppo- 
site the Assinneboine and facing Win- 
nipeg, which affords, from St. Boni- 
face, a pleasant view of the rivers and 
of the city. 

The religious edifices of the locality 
all m a row, parallel to the river, pre- 
sent a pleasing scene, complete and 
comfortable, whether viewed from a 
passing steamer, the opposite shore, or 
the immediate passer-by. These edifi- 
ces are six in number; the first is the 
college of St. Boniface, surmounted 
with Its nice cupola, and in which 60 
poys receive gocd education, not only 
in English and French, but even in 
classics, 

The second edifice is the Archbish- 
op s residence ; a good dwelling-house, 
built of stone, having in front, walks 
planted with trees. Then comes the 
Cathedral; a building of beautiful 
stone and fine design ; far superior to 
any church northwest of St. Paul. Tbe 
organ is really a beautiful instrument 
and such as to astonish, at such a dis- 
tance from what is generally termed 
the limit of civilization. The organ 
-"<"' built in Montreal, by Mr. Mitch 



sented to him four years ago, on the 
25th anniversary of his election as 
bishop. 

The fourth edifice, to the south on 
the row, is St. Boniface Academy, for 
young ladies. This establishment is 
conducted by the Sisters of Charity, in 
which there are over thirty boarders, 
and an aggregate number of eighty 
pupils. 

Next comes the Convent of St. Bon- 
iface, where the Sisters kindly sup- 
port some orphans or poor girls, aged 
and infirm women, whence they visit 
the sick at home and perform a con- 
siderable amount of other charitable 
and useful work. 

At a few hundred yards from their 
residence the Sisters purchased in 
187'7 a nice house, where they have 
their hospital. 

This new acquisition completes for 
St. Boniface a full set of educational 
and charitable institutions, all direct- 
ed and mostly supported by the Arch- 
bishop, assisted by his clergy and the 
Sisters of Charity. 

It is evident that the Eoman Catho- 
lic church has done a great deal of 
work here, and that its staff spared 
nothing in their power for the ad- 
vancement and the comfort of those 
within their reach. 

The college boys have a spleudid 
band of their own and the young 
ladies from the Academy, in the pub- 
lie concerts, give evidence of their 
good training in music. 

Among the principal citizens of the 
beautiful village of St. Boniface are 
the Honorable M. A. Girard, senator 
of the Dominion of Canada, the Hon- 
orable J. Royal, Minister of Public 
Works for the Province of Manitoba, 
the Honorable J. Dubuc, Member of 
Dominion Parliament, and Mr. 
Thomas Spence, clerk of the Legisla- 
tive Assembly. 

CHUECH OF ENGLAND. 

Justoutside the northern limits of the 
city is Bishop's Court, the residence 
of the Bishop of Ruperts Lard.the Me- 



op Tache, in Lower Canada, and pre- ' Ecclesiastical Province of Ruperts 



land. Near the Bishop's residence are 
St. John's Cathedral ; St. John's College 
which is one of the colleges of the 
University of Manitoba; St. John's 
College School, for boys ; and St. John's 
College Ladies' School. Connected 
with these Institutions, is a valuable 
block of nearly one thousand acres. 

The first clergyman of the English 
Church, the Rev. John West, came in 
1820, and made here the commence- 
ment of the first church and the first 
school. Prom this beginning mainly 
through the efforts of the C. M. S. for 
the Indian tribes, aided latterly by the 
help of English Colonial Societies, the 
Church has grown so that now it con- 
sists of four Dioceses under the Bishop 
of Ruperts Land, Mevosnee, Saskatch- 
ewan and Athabasca. 

In the Diocese of Ruperts Land 
there are now 27 clergymen, of whom 
21 are in the Province of Manitoba, 
There are also 7 or 8 Missions in the 
Interior of the Diocese in charge of 
eatechists. There are two Church 
Parishes in Winnipeg— Holy Trinity, 
under the Rev. O. Eortin, B. A., as 
Rector, which has a large new church 
and is self supporting; and Christ 
Church which has also a new church 
but small under the Rev. Canon Gris- 
<lale, B. D., one of the clergy of the 
mother parish. Part of the extreme 
west of the city lies in the parish of 
St. James, which is under the Rev. D. 
C. Pinkham, the church being without 
the city. Part of the extreme North 
still remains in tbe Mother Cathedral 
Parish of St. John. St. John's Cathe- 
dral is a Collegiate Church under a 
corporation consisting at present of a 
Dean and Six Canons, but of these 
only two of the Canons have at present 
!he required endowments. The Bish- 
op is Dean and the endowments of 
other two Canonies had been com- 
menced. 

The school commenced by the Rev. 
John West rose to importance under 
an able master the Rev. JohU Mac- 
allum, M. A., and after various vicis- 
situdes has reached its present growth 
as St. John's College with its various 
schools. 

There are a limited number of rooms 
for Theological students, but no rooms 
at present for general university stu- 
dents, excepting for those that have 
been in St. John's College School. 
But as soon as all burdens are remov- 
ed from St. John's College School for 
boys, and the St. John's College Ladies' 
School, there will be an effort made to 
erect buildings for the Theological 
and University Students of St. John's 
College. 

The St. John's College School for 
boys, receives between 50 and 60 board- 
ers and has also some day pupils, but 
the applications fox admission for 
boarders have for two or three years 
been considerable more than could 
be met. It has a full staff of teachers 
every town being under a separate 
teacher, so that if there are rooms for 
boarders,it could receive at least double 
the present number of boys. 

St. John's College with St. John's 
College School, is governed by a coun- 
cil under statutes given by the Bishop 
and sanctioned by the Synod. It is a 
chief meterological station for the Do- 
minion of Canada, superintending a 
number of stations in the Northwest 
Territories. 

The St. John's Colleg:e Ladies' 
School is a new institution. The 
school is under Miss Hart Davies as 
principal, and has a staff of govern- 
t sses and masters that will be in- 
creased as may be required. 
It is built of solid brick, with stone 



[21] 




CENTBAL SCHOOL, WliSTNIPEG, MANITOBA.. See Page 26. 



foundation, in a harmonious combina- 
tion of Swiss, English, and American 
Gothic, with mansard roof, ihaving 
four floors, finished throughout; the 
size is 45x54 ft, with projections on 
four sides. 
The internal arrangements are com- 

Elete in every respect, the whole 
uilding being heated by hot air on 
the latest improved system, one pat- 
ented by the architect. There is also 
a complete system of water works 
supplying the dormitories and closets 
throughout. This wiU also be a safe- 
guard against fire, as a hose can be at- 
tached on each floor . 

It has accommodation for thirty 
pupils and four lady assistants . Each 
floor is provided with -the necessary 
closets and bath-rooms, fixed wash- 
stands, etc. 

The Church of England is mainly 
indebted for this fine School to a very 
generous contribution by a clergyman 
In England. 

By means of the endowments that 
have been secured, the charges at 
these institutions are much less than 
at such first-class institutions gener- 
ally in America . 

The following for example, are the 
charges per term at the St. John's 
College School. The term lasts for 20 
weeks — there being two in the year. 

Fee lor Tdition in Enslish, Classics. Math- 
ematloe, including Surveying and Mathe- 
matical Drawing, French and Vocal Music$15 00 

iDBtrumental Music 5 00 

School Library 50 

Boarding for boys under 16 80 Co 

Boarding for boys over 16 90 00 

It need sca-cely be added that the 
raising of these Institutions in this 
young country, is the result of great 
and continued effort. With some ad- 
ditional help they could be made very 
efficient. The Bishop is particularly 
anxious that scholarships should be 
founded at them, both to encourage 
deserving and promising students, and 
especially for the bent fit of the sons 
and daughters of the clergy . 

A comparatively small sum given in 
this way would materially strengthen 
the Church, and cheer the Missionary 
in his struggles to build up the church 
in new districts, where the people can 
do little. 



TJNTVEKSITY OF MANITOBA. 

There is now a University of Mani- 
toba consisting of three colleges, St. 
John's, St. Boniface and Manitoba, 
and likely bye and bye to have more 
connected with it. The University 
to be governed by a council consisting 
of a Chancellor and Vice Chancellor 
of Eepresenta lives for each of the 
Colleges, three Representatives elect- 
ed by the Convention of Graduates, 
and two Representatives of the Board 
of Education. The Bishop of Ru- 
perts Land has been appointed- Chan- 
cellor, the Hon. J. Royal, Vice Chan- 
cellor, and the other members of 
Senate are now being elected. Degrees 
in arts, sciences, law and medicine 
will be given by the united universi- 
ty, but power has been given to the 
several colleges, with the consent of 
the religious bodies they are connec- 
ted with, to establish separate socie- 
ties of theology. The Council of St. 
John's College has accordingly under 
this act, with the sanction of the Di- 
ocese Synod of Rupert's Land, estab- 
lished a Faculty for the examination 
of candidates for the degrees of B. D. 
and D. D. 

THE PKESBYTEBIAN CHTTKCH IN CAN- 
ADA. 

This church is represented in the 
northwest by the Presbytery of Mani- 
toba. The territory occupied by this 
presbytery is very extensive, embrac- 
ing the whole Canadian northwest. 
There are, connected with the presby- 
tery, thirteen ministers, and three 
catechists. The number of congrega- 
tions with settled pastors, is four ; of 
vacant congregations, also four; of 
mission stations, twenty-two; making 
in all, forty-three places where servic- 
es are regularly held. The number of 
families connected with the congrega- 
tions and mission stations of the 
church, exclusive of Indians, is about 
eight hundred; of members in full 
communion, about seven hundred and 
fifty. There are also four Indian 
schools connected with the presbytery. 

The most important educational 
agency of the church in the north- 

MANITOBA COLLEGE. 

This institution is situated in the 
city of Winnipeg. It was established 



in 1871. Since that time, it has made 
steady and substantial progress. The 
number of students in attendance last 
session was forty-three. The course 
of instruction, while preparing for or- 
dinary commercial and professional 
life, fits also for passing the junior and 
senior matriculation examinations in 
the principal Canadian universities; 
for matriculation in law or medicine, 
as well as for entrance on the courses 
of agriculture and civil engineering, 
and for beginning theology in any of 
the Canadian colleges. There is also, 
a complete course given in theology 
and its cognate subjects, to young men 
studying for the ministry of the 
church. It is intended also, to adopt 
the course of instruction in the college 
to the curriculum of the University of 
Manitoba, just established. 

While the college buildings at pres- 
ent occupied, are sufficiently commo- 
dious for immediate necessities, they 
are intended to serve merely a tempo- 
rary purpose. It is the intention of 
the college board to erect, as soon as 
possible, permanent buildings, for 
which a suitable site has been already 
secured. For this purpose it will be 
necessary for the friends of the col- 
lege to come to the assistance of the 
board with their subscriptions. The 
support accorded in the past has been 
of the most generous and liberal des- 
cription ; but the growing attendance 
at the coUege will soon render greater 
accommodations absolutely necessary, 
and call for greater efforts from all 
who desire to promote the interests of 
the church and the cause of higher ed- 
ucation in the northwest. 

General Staff of Instructors in Mann 
itoia College— Uev. (Jeorge Bryce, M, 
A., Professor of Science and Litera- 
ture ; Rev. Thomas Hart, M. A., Pro- 
fessor of Classics and French ; Rev. 
James Robertson, Lecturer on Syste- 
matic Theology ; Rev. John Black, D. 
D., Lecturer on Biblical Criticism ; Mr. 
Alexander F^^rguson, Elementary Tu- 
tor. 

Officers of the Board of Manage 
ment.— Son. A. G. B. Bannatyne, 
Chairman; Rev. Professor Hart, M, 
A., Secretary; Duncan Macarthur, 
Esq., Treasurer. 
College Senate.— B,eY. Professor Bryce 
M. A., Chairman ; Rev. Professor Hart, 
M. A., Secretary ; Rev. John Black, D. 
D. ; Rev. James Robertson ; Rev. Al- 
exander Matheson. 

It may be added that while the col- 
lege is connected with the Presbyteri- 
an Church it is, in its regular and com- 
mercial courses, perfectly unsectarian 
in character. 

METHODIST CHURCH 0F|0ANADA 

Has fifteen ministers and one native 
assistant, about 2,000 members in good 
standing, 70 different preaching places, 
24 sabbath schools, about $20,000 ex- 
pended during the year ending May 
1876, by the missionary society in sus- 
taining missionaries, furnishing 
school?, &c. Several more missionaries 
have been asked for this year. The work 
is divided into two districts. One em- 
braces the province of Manitoba and 
Keewatin and several missions in the 
north and is called Red River district. 
The other called the Saskatchewan 
district, embraces our work in the N. 
W. Territories. Each district is pre- 
sided over by a chairman. The chair- 
man of Red River district resides in 
Winnipeg and the chairman of Sas- 
katchewan at Bow Mill, N. W. T. 

P£AC£ RIVER. 

Before closing my remarks about 
the resources of Manitoba and the 
Northwest I would add that Professor 



[22] 




MANITQBA COLLEGE, WHSTNIPEG, MANITOBA. See Page 21. 



John Mafioun, tbe government bota- 
nist, who has crossed the continent 
twice expressly to make inquiries into 
the floral and geological formation of 
the Northwest, especially in the Peace 
Biver district, which is to the north 
and northwest of the Saskatchewan, 
beyond the Athabasca river and east of 
the Eocky Mountains, was examined 
at great length by the Parliamentary 
committee on immigration. Daring 
the examination he gave such proofs 
of his knowledge that none doubted 
the truth of his assertions. This val- 
ley is between latitude 55 and 59 and 
longitude 115 and 122 west from Green- 
wich. The Professor found that the 
entire district along the Peace river 
for a distance of 

7e0 MILES 

in a belt 150 on each side, was as suita- 
ble for the cultivation of grain as that 
of the province of Ontario (or Upper 
Canada.) He has brought samples of 
wheat weighing 68 pounds to the bush- 
el and of barley weighing 56 pounds 
to the bushel. The climate was even 
more suitable than in Ontario for 
there were no wet autumns or frost to 
kill the young grain. The plants that 
he found in that region were the same 
as 

THOSE ON J.AKE ERIE, 

and further discDveries satisfied him 
that the two areas were similar in ev- 
ery respect. The ice in the river 
broke up in April. Stock raising was 
not dificult because the grass remain- 
ed fresh and green up to the very open- 
ing of winter. He had seen thousands 
of acres of it three and four feet long 
on levels 200 feet above Peace Elver. 
He had tested the temperature, and 
showed by figures that the average 
summer heat, throughout that entire 
district and way to the north of the 
Peace river valley, was similar to that 
of Toronto and Montreal and much 
higher than that of Halifax. He was 
positive that the climate was uncom- 
monly suitable for agriculture. Be- 
sides the peculiar excellence of the 
country for cereals he had found 
thousands of acres of crystalized salt. 
so pure that it was used in its natural 
state by the Hudson Bay Co. 

COAL 

abounded in the richest veins and was 
so inter-stratified with bermatele or 
iron ore yielding 50 per cent that no 



locality could be better for manufae 
turing. Thousands of acres of 

COAL OIL FIELDS 

were found, the tar lying on the 
ground being ankle deep; miles and 
miles of the purest gypsum beds 
cropped out of the river beds; coal 
beds abound along the eastern slopes 
of the Eocky Mountains and extend 
in large seams throughout the coun- 
try. In short, Prof . Macoun believed 
the northwest to be the richest part of 
Canada, prophesied that it would yet 
become the homes of millions of peo- 
ple, prosperous and happy. It might 
be well to state, that this committee 
was not made up entirely of believers 
oCthe human sustaining resources of 
that section or the northwest gener- 
ally, by any means, but the Professor 
submitted such a very full collection 
of the 

FAUNA, FLOBA, MINEKAL8, SOILS, 

etc., etc., of that section, with such 
full data, that belief took the place of 
doubt. I am informed that this, with 
other similar collections, can be found 
in the proper department at Ottawa. 
In speaking of salt I would say that 
previous to the connection of Manito- 
ba by steam with the States and Cana- 
da, all the salt they used was made 
near Lake Manitoba, but their appli- 
ances being rude, and distance consid- 
erable, Its manufacture is not at pres- 
ent continued, though salt springs of 
remunerative strength still exist 
there, and soon its manufacture mav 
be recommenced with the cheaper fa- 
cilities of modern and complete con- 
veniences. 
WHY haven't we known and how do 

WE KNOW? 

Perhaps some readers may wonder 
why it is that the great and magoifi- 
eent country embraced in Manitoba 
and the Canadian Northwest has only 
just been discovered, and how it is 
known that the statements herein 
made are correct. 

Want of space alone forbids this be- 
ing answered fully. Briefly it is this: 
From 1670 to 1870 this whole section 
was held in complete vassalage by the 
Hudson Bay Co., and especially so 
since its absorption in 1821 of the 
Northwest Co., its previous competitor. 
No white man could be in all this 
great territory ten days without their 
knowing it. The real missionary of 



civilizitlon, the free-trad-r, was not 
allowed in their domain. Their policy 
was to keep it a "terra in cognita.'' 
That is why we did not know about it. 
Through the purchase of their chart- 
er by the Dominloa Government, ^un- 
der the Premiership of Sir John A. Mc 
Donald, and the immense surveys 
begun by his government, mainly for 
the Canadian Pac'fic Eailway, supple- 
mented by further scientific and pri- 
vate explorations (the country being 
thrown open to free trade and travel) 
the real truth has began to be known 
about it. 
tsManitob a ha.s a very fine ^ 



i Ijy examining an orograpliical map 
merlca, will notice tliat a great contf- 
a stretches north and south between 



_AGRI_CUI.TTJSAIi.S©£J 
CIETY. 

I have before me the prize list for the 
Fifth Annual Exhibition, which was 
held last October. The premiums 
amounted to about $3,000, and compe- 
tition being opened to the entire Can- 
adian Northwest, the display was 
very full and gratifying to all inter- 
ested, and was a pleasant surprise in 
tht. quality, as well as quantity of ar- 
ticles exhibited. 

While Manitoba has hitherto been 
considered and treated as a Northwest- 
ern or prairie region, I would say she 
also lays claim and presents proof as 
being also 

A MARITIME PROVINE, 

by means of the navigation offered 
through Hudson Bay. The foUowihg 
description of this great northern b isin, 
is from an address of Sanford Fleming 
Esq. , Chief Engineer of the Canadian 
Pacific railway: 

"Any 1 
of North America, 

tal plain stretches i 

the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. It 1 
bounded on the western side thoroughout by the 
Kocky Mountain Range and on the eastern side 
in part, by thelAppalachain Range. This great 
plain occupies the whole of North America, be- 
tween the eastern and western mountain ranges, 
river systems are divided into three distmot 
drainage basins, one south into the Gulf of 
Mexico, another north into Arctic Waters and the 
third, east into the Atlantic through the St. 
Lawrence River. Of these three basins the St. 
Lawrence is far the smallest in area, while the 
northern is fully as large as the other two put to- 
gether. The divide between the northern and 
southern basins, approximates near the Inter- 
national boundary between Canada and the 
United States." 

The northwestern part of the State of 
Minnnesota is in this valley. This 
part of that State has by far its finest 
wheat lands. Northeastern Dakota is 
also in this same basin, its wheat 
value and rapid settlement equals if 
not exceeds taat of Minnesota. Conse- 
quently, it is a part of and sympathetic 
with the northern basin. The outlet 
of a large portien of the wheat belt of 
this haaia— the largest in the worlds- 
is through 

KELSON BIVEK TO HUDSON BAY, 

from the mouth of which river it is 
nearer by a considerable distance to 
Liverpool than the Port of New York 
to Liverpool. The direct western port- 
ion of the system of navigation of the 
southern part of this basin and south 
and southwest portion of the same 
system ia the Bed and Asslneboin "Val- 
leys, meet at a common point at the 
northern end of Lake Winnipeg, a dis- 
tance of some 370 miles from Hudson 
Bay, via the Elver Nelson, at a point 
710 feet above the sea level. The 
distance, 370 miles of river, is about 
the same as from Buflfalo to Troy, 
New York, (350 miles) the two 
termini of the Erie Canal, while the 
elevation to overcome is approxima^ 
tely the same viz: 710 feet to 651 feet 



and564Jfeetby the WeUand and Bt. 
Lawrence canals. By the 

BBPOST OF PBOF. H. Y. HIND 

made before the Committee on Agri- 
culture and Emigration, at the last 
session (1878) of the Dommion Parlia- 
ment, an amount of facts, founded on 
careful and long research, was 
given that carried conviction of 
the practicability of ocean navigation 
through aLd out of Hudson Bay, ap- 
proaching in duration to nearly the 
same time as the navigation of the 
Great Lakes, at least the Lake 
Superior portion thereof, . especi- 
ally if maintained by steam ves- 
sels, specially adapted to that navi- 
gation. This would not only afford a 
grain route out, but the emigration 
route in, to this great and desirable sec- 
tion. Though the formal report that 
Prof. Hind had prepared before going 
before this committee has been since 
published, it does not embrace one 
half of tlie practical facts brought out 
in the rigid cross-examination he un- 
derwent in the three days he was be- 
fore them, from the questiocs of indi- 
vidual members and others. 

Of the many who were present during 
the days he made this report and un- 
derwent the rigid questionings of those 
present, who were the most skeptical, 
as well as those who while not favor- 
able wei e willing to fairly receive any 
truths, there was not one but that felt 
convinced of at least this, "that there 
was something in it." It being my 
good fortune to be among those present, 
I am li-ank to confess such was my 
conviction, wild as I have hitherto 
considered such a scheme. There 
seems to he little doubt but that at the 
present session of the Dominion Par liar 
ment. measures will be taken to de- 
monstrate in a greater or less degree, 
the practicability of the scheme then 
80 fully and reasonably sustained. 
Should tuch experiment demonstrate 
its feasibility, the effect of such an out- 
let upon this Canadian Northewest 
would be apparent to every thoughtful 
mind, without any suggestions of 
mine. 

ENLABGEMENT OF MANITOBA, 

Is it not reasonable to suppose, that 
the area of this little Province, as at 
present organized, not equaling in size 
some ofthe counties in the older Pro- 
vinces and in many of the States, wUl 
soon be enlarged, both on grounds of 
executive economy and for other politi- 
cal and prectical reasons? Should 
such an enlargement be made, taking 
the Interna' ional boundary for its 
southern line, the 105th degree of longi- 
tude for its western line, the 60th 
parallel of latitude for its northern and 
the waters of Hudson Bay and the 
western limits of Ontario for its east- 
ern line, then would this great; and 
common island system of navigation 
ofthe Red, Assinboin, Lake Winnipeg, 
the Saskatchewan and by railway con- 
nection with the Athabasca, Peace, 
etc., united in the Nelson River and 
Hudson Bay route, be under one har- 
monious legislation. This would 
seem to be but a fair and just arange- 
ment lor this Province, to give it 

A NAVIGABLE POET 

as an outlet, and prevent much un- 
favorable legislation that might occur, 
were its navigation system under the 
charge of perhaps competitive legisla- 
tion. Such an eclargement as above 
suggested, would te most just, as by 
the terms of the recent settlement of 
the western boundaries of Ontario, 
Manitoba is thus cut off from any 
reasonable chance of any Lake Port of 




MARKET AND CITY HALL, WINNIPEG Seepage 



its own, for the shipment of its pro- 
ducts. Should the seeming justice of 
this enlargement be carried out, giving 
boundaries as approximately descri- 
bed, Manitoba would then become a 

MAKATIME PEOVINCB, 

very similar in its position, with Hud- 
son Bay navigation, to the State of 
Louisiana witn the navigation of the 
Gulf of Mexico; as a grain and emi- 
grant route, by its cooler atmosphere, 
with much in its favor over the torrid 
temperature of the Gulf route, besides 
leaving a properly portioned area for 
another Province west of the 105th 
degree of longitude, east of British 
Columbia ard south of the 60th parallel 
of latitude, with the prfsent territorial 
capital of Battleford, well within its 
limits, for awhile at least, to remain its 
political centre. 

CAUSES THAT ARE FORCIISG EMI- 
GRATION WEST. 
Right here I would say that want of 



space alone prevents my- giving an 
array of facts bearing on this subject 
that would be a surprise to most of 
my readers. Hence do not think he- 
cause I may make only assertions 
that it is frcm a want of a convincing 
amount of facts that they are not 
given here. _^, , ,.. • 

A great portion of the population in 
the older States is seriously and per- 
manently affected by the constant in- 
troduction of new 

LABOB-SAVING MACHINEBT. 

This holds good in the various manu- 
factures of metals, as well as textile 
fabrics— cloths, etc. In fact there is 
not a single branch of manufacture m 
which labor-saving machinery is not 
being constantly introduced. Many 
bratches in the last ten to twenty 
years have been entirely revolution- 
ized. This is especially so in the man- 
ufacture of clothing, boots and shoes, 
etc. I will confine myself to the men- 
tion of a single instance to show what 
a change is taking. place in manufac- 

"A^a" Social Science Convention held 
in May last (1878), at Cincinnati, Ohio, 
to consider this labor question, the 
proprietor of an old and large woolen 
factory in the city cf Philadelphia 
read a paner on this subject, in which 
he said that,duriDg the last five years, 
such had been the improvement in 
woolen machinery introduced into 
their mills that with the same produc- 
tive capacity, 50 per cent or one-ha i 



of the former number of their opera- 
tives in 1872 had been supplanted. 

Similar statements were the e made 
by all kinds of manufacturers 
throughout the States; and still new 
and improved machines adapted to aU 
kinds of manufactures are constantly 
being invented and put in use. As a 
result, at least one-thirdlof the present 
number of mechanics and factory op- 
eratives must go elsewhere. . 

The poorest feeling men m the 
States for the past five years have been 
those whose property was m cash. 
They have not dared to touch real es- 
tate, mortgages, railway, bank or in- 
surance stocks, with rates of interest 
constantly growing less, until « now 
seems as though 4 per cent would be 
all they could get for amounts of any 
size. As evidence of this see the 
amount of our 4 per cent Umted 
States bonds taken, mainly by our 
own people, in the first 60 days of this 
year, fully $250,000,000. Hence 

THE CAPITALISTS 

are now looking for desirable Western 
points, to come with their famiUes 
and capital. In Manitoba interest 
when not mentioned is six per cent, 
but it can be written to twenty per 
cent and be lawful. 
6 By the building up of large xaa 
small wholesale centres all over the 
West, and the customs bonding sys- 
tem, whereby foreign goods landed at 
our ocean ports can be transported in 
bond to custom houses in our Western 
cities before paying the duties, and 
other causes, among which are through 
rates of freight to and from Western 
cities to Liverpool and other Euro- 
pean ports, the area of country form- 
erly tributary to the wholesale trade 
in our seaboard cities is being re- 
stricted so that at least one third of 

THE WHOLESALE MERCHANTS 

in those cities are now looking for 
new trade centres, and where can they 
find them but in the new and growing 
West and Northwest? 

These facts, briefly mentioned, show 
that all classes, the capitalist, mer- 
chant and laborer, in the old states, 
are anxiously wishing to make 
changes, not only of their business lo- 
cation, but their families and homes. 
I regret that I have not the space to 
speak of the subject as fully as the 
qufstion demands. 

What holds good on this subject m 
the older States and Provinces of Can- 
ada also exists, in a greater degree if 
anything, not only m Great Britain 




^ m 









H 



PACIFIC HOTEL. WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. See Pege 



but all over Continental Europe, and 
the same result must and will follow, 
viz : A large proportion of the popu- 
lation must change their location. 

Where can they safely take their 
families, in regard to health alone? 
Certainly not to the tropical, but the 
cooler temperate climate of the New 
World, within the United States or 
Canad^, 

WHO SHOULD COME? 

Well, about the first men who 
skould start are the English tenant 
farmers, who are paying to day £3 to 
£8 ($15 to $40) per acre annual land 
rent. The population of the Island of 
Great Britain proper— England, Wales 
and Scotland— is about 22,000 000, 
while all the lands south of the' ex- 
treme mountainous parts of Scotland 
are held by less than 30,000 landown- 
ers. What is the use of the farmer 
staying there, without the ghost of a 
chance of getting an acre, and paying 
such prices for farm lands to some 
one else, who does not thank you, but 
treats you as though he was doing you 
a great favor, when by coming to the 
Canadian Northwest the father and 
every one of his sons of 18 years and 
over can get a 

FBBE HOMESTEAD, 

of 160 acres, for nothing, by simply 
living on it three years and making 
small improvements, and pre-empt 
(that is, get land on three years' credit 
without interest) 160 acres more, with 
also the privilege of making a tree- 
claim of 160 acres at no cost but the 
setting out ten acres of trees in six 
years? After that he can buy more 
land at four shillings or one dollar per 
acre. To give a better idea of the size 
of 160 acres of land I would say it is a 

FAEM TWO MILES ABOUND. 

A widow, the head of a family, be it 
more or less, has the same land rights 
in Canada as a male of 18 years or 
over. The Grovernment that offers this 
is the same as the one you are now 
living under, and the same flag will be 
over you. It is the only part of the 
world under the British flag where 
you can get free prairie farms ready 
for the plow, and in a climate that for 
healthfulness far exceeds Old Eag- 
land. 

THE CAPITALIST 

should come, for he can get high and 



safe rates of interest, and make money 
in other ways, even if he does not 
want to farm. He can live in the 
larger places, where social, church and 
school facilities are :good enough for 
any one. 

THE MEBCHAKT, 

especially the^wholesale man, should 
come, because it is a new and growing 
country and will be much nearer prof- 
itable paying trade than remaining in 
the old cities. 

THE MANUFAOTHEEE 

should come, because he is near the 
consumer, nearer raw materials, and, 
being where breadstuffs are raised, his 
operatives can live cheaper. 

THE POOB^MAN 

should come, because in no way on 
earth can he get what we all covet— a 
home and self-ownership— so easily. 
Erom his homestead, which the Gov- 
ernment will give all settlers, he will 
always be sure of a roof over his head 
and food for his family after the first 
year or two. 

By the railways and other avenues 
of transportation that now have 
reached Manitoba, and will soon be all 
over the Canadian Northwest, can the 
settler soon have low rates of freight 
to Eastern markets for his produce, 
and these rates will always be getting 
less as new routes are opened up east 
from Manitoba. This is the universal 
experience of all new countries as 
they grow older, and for an especial 
reason why this will be so in the Can- 
adian Northwest see the account of 
the superb water system, under the 
head of "Navigation," preceding this. 
A word more. Do not consider this a 
remote, out-of-the-way section, for the 
evening daily papers of Winnipeg 
publish the telegraphic English, Eu- 
ropean and United States news of the 
same day. 

In no place is capital as safely re- 
numerative, as in decided and fixed 
new sections. There is every thing 
to be done and the people there can, 
do and will pay higher rates of inter- 
est, than in older sections. What cap- 
italists want to do is to come out, look 
at the country, find what places are 
fixed natural points and sure of a pros- 
perous growth, then settle themselves 
and quietl> watch their opportunities. 
In the mean time keep a close mouth 
as to whether they have any money or 



not, in other words keep their busi- 
ness to themselves, and opportunities 
perfectly satisfying to them will soon 
be presented. By so doing their op- 
portunities for learning the true in- 
wardness of any place will be increas- 
ed and they will save themselves much 
annoyance that they will otherwise be 
troubled with. The class that new 
sections really present 

GOOD OPENINGS TOE 

are those men who are comfortably 
fixed themselves, who have a growing^ 
family particularly of boys, and who 
wish to have their families grow up 
and settle about them, which I think 
Ls natural to all parents. Now a days 
in old sections it is almost certain 
that the boys will stray away and most 
of them to the west. Now, it is much 
better for the father to sell out his 
high priced land, come to the new sec- 
tion, take up the cheap acres, home- 
steads &e., enough for all his boys, and 
thus enable them to grow up about 
the home nest; this is wiser and bet- 
ter for all, than for the sake of a few 
years more of present comfort to 
find themselves alone in middle life 
or old age with more or less of their 
sons drifting about away from them. 
While for the daughters there is no 
comparison between the two sections 
in the chances they will have to get 
husbands that can give them homes of 
their own, and all the independence 
that such possessions give them and 
theirs. Such men should come out 
and see if these things are not so. Ed- 
ucational facilities are attainable any- 
where, if not, it is largely the fault of 
the settlers for the munificence of the 
school grant of Manitoba is ample 
enough tor all, if rightly managed. 
Again the sons growing up with such 
surroundings and settled prospects, 
will escape much more of the foppeiy 
and unsettled views of life, than in 
older sections that show no openings 
except clerkships &c. 

To those who, on reaching here will 
have nothing left but their hands, if 
they will bear in mind that to create 
a visible something, from an invisible 
nothing, is a divine power, and that 
the odds are against them though not 
as largely as in the old sections ; and 
will accept and bear the disadvanta- 
ges they labor upder, be cheerful, hope- 
ful, industrious and prove themselves 
reliable— such men are wanted every- 
where and in no place more than in 
the new settlements. In such pla- 
ces this kind of men never fail 
this but few of them do so, hence the 
Northwest is not to-day short of good 
for nothings, but men of the latter 
kind coming out here will find most 
discouraging competition in that line. 

MANtrPACTtJEES 

of all kinds will be wanted, and wUl 
have the great cost of transportion 
from present manufacturing centers, 
the customs, duties etc., as extra aids. 
The more primary or simple wants will 
need supply in the new sections and 
the more costly and nice, as they grow 
older. As all the people come from old, 
well settled and well furnished homes, 
so, too, will they have about them here, 
all those little home luxuries they 
once had, such possession and purchase 
being only a matter of time. But 
those who come thinking to live by 
their wits, I care not iato what new 
section they may go, will find some 
there ahead of them who in that 
worthless employment can double dis- 
count them. For persons of delicate 
constitutions, or poor health, there is 
no place on this green earth where 



[25] 



they will live out all their days as here 
It does seem strange to me, that 
Manitoba and this great northwest 
does not fill up with greater rapidity 
than it does, when this fact is known 
it is the only section under the British 
■flag, in which free prairie homes m 
the healthiest climate that ilag waves 
over, are given 

A ROYAL GIFT 

to actual settlers. There are surely 
thousands in Great Britain, sons of 
wealthy farmers and tradesmen, sec 
end and younger sons of the nobility 
as well as young Canadians who can 
come here and secure, in point of do 
main, an earldom. 

Now, why don't they come? It 
must be because of their ignorance of 
the above fact. New Zealand gives 
every man that pays his own passage 
40 acres, while if he wants any more 
it costs him a pound, or five dollars an 
acre. The Province of Victoria offers 
lands, first at auction at an upset or 
starting price of one pound per acre 
Australia offers to any one having a 
lease from the government of a sheep 
run, the privilege of making a pre- 
emption ot 640 acres, on which their 
buildings and other improvements 
may be, at the expiration of their 
lease, but he must pay the one pound 
per acre at the expiration of his pre 
emption. While here he has his 
homestead right to 160 acres, free, his 
pre-emption right of 160 acres, his 
tree planting right to another 160 acres 
free, while if he wants any more, he 
can get it at four shillings or one dol 
lar per acre. Write to the agent of 
Dominion Lands, Donald Coda, Esq , 
at Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for a 
copy of the land laws and such other 
information as is desired, inclosing 
proper amount of postage stamps, and 
see if these things are not so. For 
sheep raising, Australia bears no com- 
parison to this seetion,in healthf ulness 
of the animal or fineness of the wool, 
and nearness to the markets of the 
world. While one does not have to 
run pny of the dangers of isolation 
that he does in those distant Pacific 
sections. It is only 14 davs from Liv- 
erpool to Winnipeg. Freight can 
come through this season in 30 days. 
While by telegraph one in Winnipeg 
can connect with his home in the 
British Isles or on the continent any 
hour, and for that matter, so he can 
for a thousand miles west of Winni- 
peg. 
The climate here is a perfect 

SAKITAKITTM OF HEALTH. 

Acclimating difeases need cot be 
feared, because they do not exist. 
Boys of 18 years old have homestead 
and pre-emption rights, so do married 
women who are the sole heads of fam- 
ilies. What liberal chances are thus 
fiven to the British subject to obtain 
omes, under the same old flag their 
fathers and their forefathers have 
lived under. It is far more liberal 
and the lands are cheaper than in the 
United States. This brings me to the 
subject of 




ASHDOWN'S BLOCK, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. Bee PapeZl. 



THE GROWING 30AECITY 

of cultivatable public, or govern- 
ment lands in the United States. 
Much has been said on this 
subject, but the following is a 
short extract from a long article 
on this same subject from the New 
York Tribune, which speaks for itself 
and sooner or later it is a truth the 
people of the United States will have 
to face and admit. 

The Tribune has always been a I Pacific Railway, the only railway 
western or emigrating paper, though | forming a connection with the south- 



published in New York City. Its 
founder, Horace Greeley, was a man 
who in his day, was more familiar 
with the West and its resources and 
opportunities, than any other eastern 
editor. He was a most philanthropic 
man, and when applied to by the 
young men of the crowded east, as he 
very often was, was apt to give them 
the following advice, which has since 
grown to an axiom, "Go West, young, 
man, and grow up with the country." 
"The days o£ cheap, fertile farms for all who 
like to till them are very nearly over. The un- 
occupied lands of the Dominion are now the best 
on the continent, and the regions in which these 
are to be found are by far the most health ful and 
attractive. The climate of the south and south- 
west is to hot, and, in many places unhealthy 
for the full development of Anglo Saxons.wheth 



beyond to the northwest, will soon be all that 
are left for the struggling millions fleeing west- 
ward and still westward for more room. It will 
take some time for those fertile regions to be 
also fllled up, but no such long period that it 
would be impossible to calculate when it will 



In the States the question is already a living 
one and passes tor an answer ; "What is to be 
done with the ever-growing population, with no 
new lands to which the surplus may always 
move?" By the end of this century the popula- 
tion of the States will be far on to eiehfy millions, 
and these will occupy substantially the same 
stretch ot culiivatable fields which the present 
forty millioDS do." 

THE ROUTES 

to Manitoba from the States. Where 
an all rail route is desired, take any of 
the railway liaes coming to St. Paul, 
Minnesota, then the Saiot Paul and 



ern branch of the Canadian Pacific 
Railway to Winnipeg; or, one can 
take the Wisconsin Central Railway 
at Chicago or Milwaukee to Lake Su- 
perior at Ashland, and then by boat, 
close connection being always made, 
70 miles to Dulutb, there connecting 
with the Northern Pacific westward 
to Glyndon, where the N. P. crosses 
the St. P. & P. Those from the States 
desiring to go by lake, can take a daily 
line ot steamers from Buffalo, that 
call at Erie, Cleveland, Detroit, Sault 
St. Mary. Marquette, etc., to Duluth, 
or by Canadian lake steamers also to 
Duluth. 

The Canadians desiring all rail 
would take the International and 
Grand Trunk Railways to Toronto at 
least, and then take the choice of 
either continuing on the Grand Trunk 
or take the Great Western Railway 
via Hamilton and the many beautiful 
cities and towns to Detroit, where the 
Grand Trunk also runs, both railways 
from there coing to Chicago over that 
"boss" railway of the States, the 
Michigan Central, and so to St. Paul. 
Or, Canadians desiring to go by lake 
can, at Toronto, take the Northern 
Bail way to Oollingwood, SO miles, and 
there boats through to Duluth; 
though they can make connections 
with either another Canadian line or 
the American lines from Detroit or 
Sarnia by either the Grand Trunk or 
Great Western Railways, as above. 
But by taking the CoUingwood boats 
bad weather on Lake Huron is obvi- 
ated and much fine scenery obtained, 



[26] 




MERCHANTS' BANK OF CANADA, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA. 



as the lattei line runs through the 
bays and among the islands that lay 
along the eastern and northern shores 
of Lake Huron instead of running out 
into and through the middle of the 
lake as the boats of the other lines do. 

THE CITY OF 'WINNI- 
PEG 

was incorporated by act of Parliament 
on the 8tk of November 1873. The first 
election for Mayor and Aldermen was 
held on the 5th of January 1874 
Francis Evans Cornish was elected the 
first mayor. The present Mayor, Alex 
ander Logan, E^q., was elected 'ast 
January, as were also the following 
Aldermen: J. H. Ashdown, W. P. 
Alloway, S. Blanchard, E. G. Conklin, 
Alex. Brown, A. P. Eden, Mark Eor- 
tane, J. B. More, Alex. McArthur, 
Eobert Strang, D. Young, A. Wright. 
The present efficient city clerk, Mr. 
A. M. Brown, was the first regular city 
clerk, he having been appointed on the 
2d of February 1874. The sound 
condition of the city, its peace 
and good order, show that its 
management is in good hands, and 
that its police is not excelled by any city 
in the States or old Provinces. It is 
in fact something wonderful when we 
consider the great numbers of trad ers, 
their assistants and drivers, that only 
come in where the dissipations of civi- 
lized life are obtainable once in one or 
more years. During the nearly seven 
weeks of my visit, in 1877, right in the 
heighth of their distant trading season, 
I never saw a single street fight or 
knew of a single drop of blood being 
shed. 



The City Government is divided into 
the following 

DEPARTMENTS : 

Finance, board of works, markets, 
licenses and police, fire, water and 
lights, fire inspector, board of health, 
cemetery committee. His Worship the 
Mayor is ex oflScio member of all the 
committees, and he looks after them 
well. The department I noticed with 
the greatest pleasure was that of fire, 
water and lights, having in charge 
the Fire Department, which is very 
eflScient, consisting of two fine Silsbee 
Steamers, four hose reels, 2,000 feet of 
the best 3-ply rubber hose, a hook and 
ladder truck complete. The brigade 
consists of 45 men. The two engi- 
neers are constantly on duty as well 
as the horses. Seven large tanks 
are scattered about its business 
streets, beside their never failing riv- 
er supplies. These tanks are kept 
constantly filled and are never allowed 
to get low or empty. Fighting fire 
with them is a vital business and they 
provide themselves accordingly. Their 
business streets are now besoming 
very much protected from any ex- 
tended fires, by the frequant erection 
of substantial brick blocks, of which 
we give quite a number of views, 
though not all by any means. We give 
an engraving of the beautiful new en- 
gine housb, over a part of which the 
first and second engineers will reside. 
Few more complete fire department 
buildings than this, are to be 
found in any city. The public schools 
of Winnipeg are an honor to her. 1 
see by the last City Auditor's report 
that there was paid nearly $6,000 



for their support in 1876. In 1877 end of Main street, 



they built two very fine school build- 
ings, of one of which we give a 
fine view. It has a fine four-acre lot, 
the building itself is of brick, and 
cost some $9,000. Its architecture and 
interior arrangement are very fine. 
They have also built another 
smaller one, that has a nice 
playground of half an acre. This 
cost some $4,000. It is of 
the same fine architecture. The 
distance which the people of 
Winnipeg at present feel them- 
selves to be from the ola-es- 
tablished educational institutions of 
the East, and a desire to have their 
children educated at home, make 
them unusually a live to the early 
providing of this great privilege. 
These city schools are free, and it 
should be borne in mind are in addi- 
tion to the colleges heretofore spoken 
of, views of which we also give our 
readers. The city churches are nu- 
merous, and though as yet of rather 
plain architecture, as became the 
means of those who built them, are 
still neat and in good repair, and what 
is more, are well filled, all having quite 
flourishing Sunday schools. The peo- 
ple of Winnipeg are great church- 
§oers, and no old city shows a better 
abbath observance. 
The Presbyterians are just finishing 
a very handsome brick church, with a 
beautiful spire. Its architecture is 
very choice and harmonious in its pro- 
portions and ornamentation, a credit 
to its architect. 

The Catholics are about erecting a 
church that will be, I am told, much 
fiuer even thart the Presbyterian. 

Tne building improvements in this 
city last year (1878) were, at a low es- 
timate, at least $200,000— included in 
which were many nice dwellings. 

The population of Winnipeg in 1870 
was, according to a census then taken, 
353 ; in 1873 it was some 3,200 ; it now 
has a plump 10,000. Since I was there 
in 1878 I see a wonderful growth in 
every way. Then there were but two 
brick buildings ; now there are scores 
of them, and of fine quality. 
Brick in ordinary seasons 
cheaper than lumber. One 
evidence of this was the great number 
of small or cheaper dwellings that I 
saw built of them, besides the numer- 
ous business and public buildings. 
The Dominion government has built 
here some very fine brick buildings, of 
which we give some views. The cus- 
tom house, the land office, the post- 
office, would ornament the streets of - 
any metropolitan city. The city hall 
and market, of which we give a view, 
is a fine, substantial bricK building, 
that cost some $65,000. The lower 
floor is used for the council room, city 
offices, lock-up and market, while the 
second floor has a very fine hall, also 
rooms of the Young Men's Christian 
associations. Few young cities are so 
well and liberally side and cross- 
walked. 

The street views of to-day, which we 
give our readers, particularly, when 
compared with a view of the same 
space taken in 11871, will show better 
than any words of mine the wonderful 
growth of this marvelous young 

GATE CITY OF THE 
NORTHWEST. 

Then there are the closely-built 
blocks of business houses. The largest 
dealers are of course the Hudson Bay 
Company, who have their main depot 
of supplies in this city, the same being 
in Fort Garry, on the north bank of 
the Assineboine, at the foot or south 




LYON'S BLOCK. 



THE PRIVATE MER- 
CHANTS 

of this city en. brace many who in 
point of capital, business ability and 
amount of business transactions will 
be a surprise to any visitor. I tave 
space to mention only a few of them, 
and, in doing so, I claim they are as 
much the exponents of the resources 
of the country as the farmer or manu- 
facturer. The one standing confess- 
edly at the head is 

W. H. LYON, 

exclusively wholesale grocerle?, a view 
of whose fine block is presented here- 
in, and who in amount of sales is 
claiaed by many to very nearly equal 
the H. B Co Mr. Lyon was bom in 
the state of New Yorij, and came here 
"to fortune and fame unknown," in 
1859, bringing willing hands and a de- 
termined mind. He began a trade in 
furs in 1860 and in 1863 went into gen- 
eral merchandising, in which he con- 
tinued until 1877, when he went into 
exclusive wholesale groceries, which 
business he looks ti increasing large- 
ly. It at present extends from Fort 
McCloud 1200 miles west, to Ff. Fran- 
cis 250 miles east and north as far 
as any private trade. Beside these 
two stores, which are 56x80, with 
basement complete, he has several 
warehouses, giving a very large stor- 
age capacity, that at all times he 
keeps full and active. He has never 
been in public life (save in the City 
Council, where his cool, practical head 
has done much towards putting the 
city in its present sound financial con- 
dition), but has stuck right to bus- 
iness, though no one is more prompt 
to respond to any public movement. 
He is square, prompt and energetic in 
business, quick in trade and all busi- 
ness actions. He stands on thethresh- 
hold of a magnificent trade, favored 
with a strong physique, of a genial, 
even nature and is a man that will 
wear well and always, win and hold 
friends, which is the one great secret 
of mercantile success. He sells a large 
amount of goods in Northern Minne- 
sota and Dakota, ordering from ttie 
United States markets direct to that 
section. 



In passing down Main street, the 
most prominent business block that 
meets the eye of the stranger is the 
fine brick store of 



J. H. ASHDOWN, 

who is the pioneer by some two years 
in the hardware, stove and tin busi- 
ness, which he started in a small way 
in 1869. He came by the old trail 
from St. Paul, Minnesota, nearly 600 
miles, bringing his stock in Red river 
ox carts, then the only means of trans- 
portation for the entire distance. He 
was 20 days on the route, walking 
nearly the entire distance. Shortly 
after commencing businesp, he built a 
large frame store of two stories. 
Sticking right to business, without a 
partner, such was his success that in 
'75 he built his present fine block 
which wiU be doubled the present year 
and be used as show room for stoves, 
harvest tools, gas fittings, etc., and 
the rear room for bar iron and other 
heavy goods. The size of his store 
will then be 56x100 feet, three stories 
and full basement. He has several 
warehouses besides. Besides his pres- 
ent building, which he occupies 
fully, he has two large sepa- 
rate warehouses and two vacant lota 
covered with reapers, mowers, horse 
rakes and plows, while the 
buildings are filled with every thing 
in tools, hardware, iron, nails, raval 
stores, jaints, oils, stoves &c. The 
sales room and oflaces on the first floor 
of his brick block are nicely fitted up 
and convey a ccrrect impression of the 
immense business done by him. The 
basement is filled with extra stoves 
and nails, the second floor with shelf 
hardware in stock, the third floor with 
tin and sheet iron stock, also as work 
shop for making stove pipe atd stove 
trimmings and tin ware generally, of 
which his sales are very large for both 
family and camp vse. Mr. Ashdown, 
though still younf, being under 37 and 
in possession of very Bmple capital atd 
fine health, feels as though he was on- 
ly just getting well started has es- 
chewed active politics, rever sfeeula- 
ted in real estate or any thing outside, 
but accumulated his cdpital and trade 



by a very conservative and stiictad- 
herecce to his legitimate businees. 

STOBAKT. EDEN & CO. 

were originally started as a com mission 
agency for the private traders here, of 
the London, England house of F. E. 
Kew & Co. Mr, Kew first visited 
this province in i862, though he 
had previously been doing a large 
order and commission business 
for the traders in the north- 
west. To facilitate his business 
transactions, he that year established 
an agency in St. Paul, Minnesota, but 
in 1870 he removed it to Winnipeg. In 

1874 Mr. D. W. Stobart became a res'- 
dent partner here, and they enlarged 
their business to a general stock of 
dry goods, groceries and crockery. 
That same year Mr. Stobart 
took charge of a large trading 
expedition through the west, estab- 
lished several trading posts, with 
headquarters on the Saskatchewan . In 

1875 ttiey bought out the retail trading 
and outfitting business of Owen 
Hughes & Co. Mr. Hughes was em- 
ployed by this firm to proceed north to 
establish trading posts to the north of 
Lake Winnipeg, along the Nelson riv- 
er to Hudson bay, which he did, fixing 
his headquarters at Cross Lake, on 
Nelson river. In 1876 Mr. A. P. Eden 
took charge of the general manage- 
ment of the Winnipeg house. In 
Sept., 1877 Mr. Kew retired, Mr. 
Eden was admitted and the pres- 
ent firm established. This firm 
now has an immense trade through 
the above named sections, being the 
largest fur dealers in the Province 
outside of the Hudson Bay Company, 
while their general wholesale and 
retail trade at Winnipeg is very 
heavy. They still keep up their ship- 
ping and commission London agency 
under the change of Messrs. Fen wick 
& Co , Abchurch Yard, London, E. C. 
They occupy both of their brick stores 
from basement up— their dry goods 
store being 33x100, and their grocery 
and crockery store 26x70. Their offices 
on the 2d floor of the dry goods store, 
which has a handsomer retail room 
than any in St. Paul, are elaborately 
fitted up in fancy hard woods, etc. 
We present a view of their front, which 
is 59 feet wide. 

Among the dry goods establishments 
of the city, the firm of 

K. GEEEIE & CO. 

occupies a leading position, as the on- 
ly exclusively dry gocds firm in the 
Province. Their new store, just com- 
pleted, on the east side of Main street 
near the City Hall, a view of which is 
given, shows a character and business 
second to none in the Province ; while 
their success atd lapidly increasing 
trade is another example of what tact, 
enterprise and energy can do in a new 
country, supplemented with a due 
share of Scotch caution and shrewd- 
ness. 

With a business record extending 
over 17 jearp, ample capital, and 
a first-class credit in Europts and the 
United States, thty have been enabled 
to develop a large wholesale business, 
and to compete successfully in prices 
with eastern houses. Their direct 
English shipments frequently 
reach here in twenty-five days from 
date of shipment. Witti the great ex- 
pansion ofwhich the country is capa- 
ble, it is safe to predict fcr this firm a 
prosperous career and brilliant future. 
Having been here since 1872, they 
have made large investments in land, 
all near the city, and, without ques- 
tion, are to-day the largest private 



[28] 



land owners in the Province. With 
these selections, made among the first, 
when prices were the lowest, they can 
now make especially favorable offer 
ings to those desiring large tracts of 
one to two thousand acres each 
L^rge farms, as successfully proved 
in the United States, show a much 
larger per cent of profit than is possi 
ble on small tracts. They offer the 
lands in lots to suit to only actual set 
tiers, to whom liberal terms of pay- 
ment will be given. 

Among the city grocery firms that 
of 

SNTDKB & ANDERSON 

stands among the oldest and most 
honorable. They came here in 1873 
Mr. Snyder came from New York and 
Mr. Anderson from Chicago. The 
firm was then made up as it is to-day 
Both have been raised in the mercan 
tile business, and, by reliability m 
every way, have built up a business 
in groceries, crockery, provisions, etc 
that gives full occupancy to two 
stores 25x90 and 25x60. Neither have 
ever been in politics— the besetting 
sin of business men, especially in new, 
live towns— but, by attending right to 
business, which is done in a most 
quiet way, they now have a fine trade, 
mostly city, that sticks to them. 

DODD & CO., 

wholesale and retail dealers in boots, 
shoes, leather, shoe findings, etc., made 
up their present firm in 1875, the year 
Mr. McDonald came to >Vinnipeg, 
though Mr. Dodd had !been here since 
1872( They occupy a large store (20x 
80 with warehouse) nearly opposite 
the postoffice. They also manufacture 
quite largely, and do fine work, of 
which they make a specialty. A short 
time since they bought out the whole- 
sale boot and shoe stock and trade of 
Higgins & Young. They wholesale 
quite extensively from the Lake of 
the Woods to Edmonton, on the Sas- 
katchewan, a distance of over 1100 
miles. Emigrants and new comers 
should look through their stock of 
both light and heavy work and fine 
ladies' wfar. 

BANKS. 

Perhaps the greatest necessity for 
successful business enterprise, mer- 
cantile particularly, in either an old 
or new trade centre, is proper bank 
facilities. Eor so young a city, Win- 
nipeg is remarkably fortunate in this 
respect, having three solid and substan- 
tial banks already. The leading one 
is a branch of the 

MEIWHANTS BANK Or CANADA. 

Occupying a prominent jwsition in the 
very center of the town, stands the 
handsome edifice belonging to the 
Merchants' Bank of Canada, an insti- 
tution which was organized about 13 
years ago, by Sir Hugh Allan, with 
whom was associated Jackson Eae 
Esq., who was general manager of 
this institution for upwards of 13 
years. Mr.AUanis the eminent steam- 
ship owner of Montreal, whose mag 
niflcent line of ocean steam ships have 
acquired a world-wide fame, and to 
whose indomitable perseverance and 
indefatigable energy, Canada owes 
more as regards her material prosper- 
ity, than to any other man living. 
Tnis bank ranks in size and impor- 
tance immediately under the B nk of 
Montreal, being the second largest 
bank in the Dominion, ,and having 
some 40 branches, besides agencies 
in New York and London. The head 
office is in Montreal. The general 
manager is George Hague Esq^ a 
banker of veiry high reputation. The 




RESIDENCE OF HON. A. G. B. BANNATYNE. 



Merchants' Bank was the first char- 
tered monetary institution in Canada, 
which established a branch in the 
Qorthwest.having organized its branch 
in Winnipeg in 1873. under the man- 
agement of Duncan Macarthur, Esq., 
formerly of the financial department 
of the Hudson Bay Company in Mon- 
treal, and its enterprise has fairly 
earned the large and increasing busi- 
ness which it does, and the high rep- 
utation which it has acquired, not only 
in the Province of Manitoba, but 
throughout the contiguous Western 
States. 

The officers stationed at Winnipeg 
are Donald Macarther, manager; 
H. T. Champion, accountant; F. 
H. Morice, teller; A. R. J. Banna- 
tyne, assistant; A. E. Hespler, ledger 
keeper; C Germain, clerk. 

The Bank of Montreal and Ontario 
Bank both have branches here. 

THOMAS LUSTED, 

came here in 1867. He at once began' 
his present business, m.vking the first 
wagons, buggies and sleighs made in 
the Province, from lumber cut by 
his own hand from the log. He 
now employs 10 men the year 
through and in the busy season 
more. All of the necessary smithing 
and iron work, painting Sua., in ma- 
king a carriage comp'ete is djnein his 
factory. In establishing his business 
he has had many obstacles to over- 
come, beside those incident to pioneer 
manufacturing anywhere. But in his 
line the present customs tariff works 
much to his d saivantage in that 
he is charged just the same 
rate of duty on raw or half 
finished material that he imports 
for his use as on wagons &c., complete. 
But his energy and the reliability of hi? 
work have built up for him, what really 
is the largest manufacturing establish- 
ment in the Province, outside of the 
lumber trade. Manitobians, if you 
would build up manufaeturiag in your 
midst and keep all your money circu- 
lating here, you should always, when 
you have a chance,patronize your home 
manufacturers. 

This year he has added many of the 
leading makes of agricultural imple- 
ments and machinery to his stock of 
wagons &c., all of which he sells at the 
lowest living figures. He is a man of 
very quiet ways, but of great energy 
and persistence and trusts by another 
sear to so rebuild and enlarge his 
works that they will be an ornament 



among the indnstria' institutions of 
the city. 

m'kechnie, M'MILLAN & CO. 
are the foundry, machine, and black- 
smithing firm of the city. They have 
a large engine, a good foundry, and a 
large amount of the necessary ma- 
chinery, much of it suited to heavy 
work. At present their businees i» 
mostly repairing, of which they do a 
large amount, employing constantly 
some eight men beside themselves. 
They do engine, mill and agricultural 
implement work. They were making a 
quantity of small cars for Mr. White- 
head, the contractor on the Canadian 
Pacific Railway, when I visited their 
works. They are both practical skilled 
mechanics, of the best habits, workers 
of the hardest kind, and with ample 
capital will keep pace with the growth 
of the Province. 

There are 13 steam flour mills in the 
province, also some dozen wind^rist 
mills, but the latter are now almost en- 
tirely out of repair. There is also a 
fine steam flour and grist mill at St. Al- 
bert, some 500 miles up the Saskatche- 
wan. 

THE CITY FLOUR MILL, 

D. H. McMillan, proprietor, makes 
straight and patent process flour, bran, 
meal and feed. It i3 both a custom 
and merchant mill; has a lOO-horse 
power engine and four run of stones, 
which are kept in operation day and 
night the season through. It is well 
fitted with the latest machinery, and 
other runs of stone will be added as. 
required. The foreman is from one of 
the oldest Minneapolis mills. The 
patent process flour which this mill is 
making is a credit to the Province. 
Manitoba wheat is especially adapted 
for that kind of flour. Mr. McMillan 
sees no reason why, with ordinary 
care, the flour of this Province should 
not soon be known on the Eastern 
and European markets. 

The hotels of the city are both nu- 
merous and very good ; but the 

PACIFIC HOTEL, 

patronized by His Excellency the Gov- 
ernor General and suite, of which 
John Haverty, the oldest present land- 
lord in Winnipeg, is proprietor, takes 
the first-class travel every time. Its 
situation is fine, particularly in sum- 
mer, being at the foot of Main street 
near the steamboat landing on the As- 
sineboin Ri ver, and near Fort Garry 




DEER LODGE-RESIDENCE OF HON. JAS. McKAY. See Page 11. 



aad a short distance from the Domin- 
ion Custom House and Land OflBce. 

THE DAVIS HOUSE 

is the oldest hotel in the city, and one 
of the largest, it having accommoda- 
tions for loo gaests. The arrange- 
ment of the house is most convenient 
and eosy. A large proportion of its 
sleeping rooms are retired and quiet. 
Its billiard parlor is by far the largest 
northwest of Minneapolis. It has six 
fine Brunswick & Balke tables. Mr. 
8. E. West, the lanilord of the house, 
is the Canadian Northwest Agent for 
these leading United States billiard 
table manufacturers. Its location is 
most central, being on the west side 
of Main street opposite the head of 
Post Office street, near the Merchant 
Bink, Receiver General and Post 
Offices, and the principal business 
houses. For commercial travelers it 
is the location. It is the head office of 
the Railway and Steamboat Omnibus 
L^ne. A fine liverv is also attached 
to it. The Hoa. R. A. Davis, late 
Provincial Premier, the owner of this 
fine old property, will this year en- 
large it by a brick addition 57x100 feet 
and four stories high, which will 
make it by far the largest hotel north 
of Minneapolis. 

THE CARRYING TRADE 

of Manitoba may be seen by the fol- 
lowing statement of tonnage from 
season of 1873 by Red River steam- 
boats : 1873— 23 613,036 ; 1874—37,626,- 
200; 1875-76.078,fi80. This is but the 
dawning light of the future trade here 
when additional railways and im- 
proved navigation, including Red 
Lake River Canal, heretofore spoken 
of, have added their developing in- 
fluences. I cannot obtain, at; present 
writing, the aggregate annual figures 
of the river tonnage since 1875. The 
Rad River Navigation Company alone 
carried, both ways, in 1878, 29,108,079 
pounds of freight and 13,290 passen- 
gers. But this represents only five of 
the fourteen boats in Red River. Be- 
sides, every year there are several 
hundred flat boats floated down, load- 
ed with produce and merchandise, 
which after arrival are taken to pieces 
and sold for lumber. Luge amounts 
of lumber and thousands of cords of 
wood from the States are also 
rafted down. Most of the mer- 
chants here who import direct from 
Europe— and there are many of them 
who buy there largely— now ship their 



purchases on through bills of lading 
at. through freight rates to Winnipeg, 
and receive them usually in from 28 
to 25 days from date of shipment. 

THE DISTANCE 

that trade comes to this city can 
hardly be appreciated by the 
stranger. I have seen and talked 
with traders from away up in the Arc- 
tic circle, from islands near the mouth 
of the McKenzie River, where it takes 
nine and a half months to make the 
trip one way, and where the days are 
three months long. Also from Ed- 
monton, Bow River, Athabasca, and 
Peace River— 9, 12 and 1,500 miles dis- 
tant—besides from away down the 
Nelson River to Hudson's Bay. Over 
4.000 Red River carts will be loaded 
here this season to supply this trade. 
It seems as though this fact alone, 
without mentioning any of the other 
items herein given, is enough to con- 
clusively show that no young city ever 
was started that is a focal point of 
such immense areas of trade as this 
same city of Winnipeg. 

AS INDICES OF CIVILIZATION 

in this Province, I would say that 
there are 43 Protestant school dis- 
tricts with 1,600 enrolled children. 
There are 47 churches— 16 Episcopal, 
13 Catholic, 8 Presbyterian, 9 Metho- 
dist, 2 Baptist. There are 7 lodges 
of Masons, 3 of Odd Fellows, 6 
Temperance lodges, 2 Base Ball, 
2 Cricket, and 2 LaCrosse clubs, 
2 dramatic and literary societies (the 
latter several years old), 4 social and 
charitable societies, such as St. An- 
drew's, St. Jean Baptiste, etc., and the 
y. M. C. A., and several boating clubs. 
The Manitoba Club is a very select 
association of 83 members, organized 
in 1874 . Their club house is one of 
the most conspicuous buildings on 
Main street. It cost $6,500. Its mem- 
bers are very courteous and hospitable 
to strangers. 

THE NEWSPAPER PRESS 

of this northwest consists of the Free 
Press, Blandard and Le Metis. The 
two former are English and are pub- 
lished in Winnipeg. The latter is 
French and is published at St. Boni- 
face. The Free Press issues a daily 
and weekly edition. Its office is run 
by steam and is the most complete 
printing office west or northwest of 
Minneapolis. The Standard is an 
four page weekly and is the out- 



growth of the Manitohian, which was 
begun in 1870. Its office has a very 
full outfit of type, presses, etc. 
Among the latter is the first printing 
press brought to the Province. The 
Le Metis, a weekly, is the organ of the 
French speaking population of the 
northwest. They number at least 25,- 
000 It has a complete job office at- 
tached to it. Space alone prevents my 
speaking of them all as I would like 
to Where the attentions extended to 
your northwestern editor, from all of 
these offices, were so kind, generous 
and delicate, it would hardly be in 
good taste to particularize. Sufficient 
to say, they were such that their 
memories will ever be cherished and 
pleasant, and his wish is sincere that 
the prosperous business which they 
seem to have, be as continued as it la 
merited. 

NATURAL CONCLU- 
SIONS. 

The great work and effort in starts 
ing a new community, in plantmg ci'o- 
ilization in a distant wild, as this place 
was four years since, is largely over- 
come by the time it has a fixed and 
permanent population of 10,000 which 
Winnipeg now has. So has it now here 
churches, social, educational, commer- 
cial and mercantile facilities, capable 
of easy enlargement to accommodate 
ten or twenty times the present popu- 
lation. In brief, the great work, pri- 
vation, hopes and fears, doubts and 
uncertainties, have been largely over- 
come in the building of a city of 
50,000 or 100,000 here, in the already 
established and provided for popula- 
tion of 10,000, so that those hereafter 
casting their lot here, will be largely 
relieved from the varied demands, and 
wear and tear of brain, that in the 
years now past, were so constantly at- 
tendant upon those who carried the 
many and heavier burdens of pioneer 
life. This city is able to offer most of 
the conveniences of old communitiee 
to those, and I believe they will be 
many the coming seaso-n who will 
come and build their homes and busi- 
ness here. 

A RETROSPECT AND 
PROPHESY. 

The permanent settlement of Canada 
antedated that of the United States, by 
several years. Since ihe close of the 
American Revolut onary War, 1783, 
Canada has been in a state of peace,, 
constantly under the guidance and 
fostering care of a wealty, powerful 
mother country, with the world open- 
for emigration to come within her bor- 
ders. 

Since 1783 the United States have 
bad to play "a lone hand," ajainst the 
whole world. Three large wa's have 
taxed her resources of men and money. 
The last war was the largest in num- 
ber of regular battles, men engaged, 
etc., that has occurred in the present 
century. The two firmer being with 
England in 1812, and Mexico in 1845. 
Yet out of them all baa she come with 
honor t » herself and the respect of all 
the world. 

She has acquired by purchase, Louis- 
iana of France in 1803 (which pur- 
chase embraced the entire Misi-sippi 
and Missouri valleys, from tfce Gulf of 
Mexico to Manitoba and west to the 
Rocky Mountains,) and Fjorida of 
Spain in 1810, (we wUl not mentioa the 
purchase of Alaska in 1867). Texas 
came by her own request of annexa- 
tion in 1846, and California, by treaty- 



in 1848. By way of interlude, in the 
march of time, she has stricken off the 
shackles tl at bound 4,000,000 of human 
beings held in c mplete slavery, hhe 
has carried civilization across a conti- 
nent nearly 4,000 miles wide acd bound 
together the two ocean shores in bonds 
of iron, making 1he 

PtJISATIONS OF KATIONAL LIFE 

harmonious by steam and electric ty, 
through the whole length and breadth, 
north and south, east acd west of th's 
Great American Republic. During these 
years, she has solved and made an 
heretofore unknown record of rapid, 
christianizfd human development. In 
doing which, 'iis true, she has made 
some foolish experiments. This grand 
march has been made, without asingel 
similar example. As a whole, it has 
been by peaceful meacs, with hard, 
honest work, guided hy free men, free 
lands, free homes and free schools as 
the grand advancing causes. Now 
her successful, pracScal example is 
before the world. The States did not 
enter upon the period of their 

RAPID GBOWTH, 

until about 1830, about wMch year, 
by means of steam navigation of the 
Great Lakes, the Ohio River and the 
openirgofthe National Road, (high- 
way) built by the Government from 
Baltimore to St. Louis, she peirced the 



[30J 

forest that originally was ui broken, 
from the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, 
to the eastern and southern boundary 
of the State of Illinois. 

The period of her great growth be- 
gan wl en her people struck the east- 
ern edge of the greet common. United 
States and Canadian Continental Prai- 
rie Belt. It is from the 

THE FEETILE PRAIEIE, 

subdred by civization, that the United 
States has grown, not only in her 
national resources, but her national 
greatness atd power, that though 
young in national life as she is. makes 
evident, that in a near fature she will 
con be an cnmatched national piw- 
r. The population of the Ucited 
States to-day, is from 47,000,000 to 
50 000,000; that of Canada about 4,500,- 
000. 

No where else on earth can ttiis ex- 
hibit of national growth be repeated, 
but in 

THE CANADIAN NORTHWEST. 

Nowhere else is there a sufficient area 
of generally fertile laud, well watered 
by navigable streams and lakes suffi 
cientfor it. 

Now that steam and electricity have 
removed the hitherto isolation of the 
old Provinces, from the magnificent 
area for many new ones, it is but 



A NATURAX PROPHESY, 

that a homegece. us people, common 
in their ancestry, speakirg the same 
li-nguage, with an fxymple before! hem 
in which every err&r made I y their 
brethern can be avoided, can and will, 
successfully repeat the human ad- 
vancement that has already carii(d 
hope, cheer acd happy realization, to 
so many millions of hitherto, care- 
oppressed human souls. By the record 
of the past nearly one hundred 3 ears, 
during which lime these neighboring 
nations have dwelt side by side with- 
out a drop cf blcod being spilt, 'tis safe 
to say, that they ever will, as hereto- 
fore, joined band in hand, carry west- 
ward the twin stars of the Republic and 
Dominion acd that to the corth of the 
State?, will soon develop a 
Britain.'' 



and of the United States, who 
are ready to take a man's part in 
life's real and remunerative actu- 
alities here, I know that many of 
vou will come to make homes in this 
beautiful Manitoba, (The "Spirit 
Straits" of the Indians) or perhaps 
still beyond her border?, in this rea^, 

NEW NORTHWEST. 




RESIDENCE OF J, H. ASHDOWN. ESQ. 



Speech of the Governor General. 



The following is a report of the 
speech of His Excellency, the Eakl 
OF DtrFFERiN, Governor General of 
Canadi.at a Byeuner, at Winnipeg, 
Manitobi, on September 39th, 1877, in 
reply to the toast, "the Governor Gen- 
eral of Canada," coupled with the 
name of Lady DofCerin. His Excel- 
lency in rising to reply was received 
with loud and prolonged cheering. 
He said : 

Mr. Mayor, Your Honor, Ladies and 
Gentlemen : 

In rising to express my acknowledge- 
ments to the citizens of "Winnipeg for 
thus crowning the friendly reception 
I have received throughout the length 
and breadth of Manitoba by so noble 
an entertainment, I am painfully op- 
pressed by the consideration of the 
many respects in which my thanks are 
due to you, and to so many other per- 
sons in the Province. From our first 
landing on your quays until the pres- 
ent moment, my progress through the 
country has been one continual delight, 
nor has the slightest hitch or Incongru- 
ous incident marred the satisfaction of 
my visit. I have to thank you for 
the hospitalities I have enjoyed at the 
hands of your individual citizens, as 
well as of a multitude of independent 
communities, for the tasteful and in- 
genious decorations which adorned my 
route, for the quarter of a mile of ev- 
enly-yoked oxen that drew our tri- 
umphal car, [applause] for the univer- 
sal proofs of your loyalty to the 
Throne and the Mother Country, and 
for your personal good-will towards 
Her Majesty's representative. Above 
all, I have to thank you for the evi- 
dences produced on either hand along 
our march of your prosperous condi- 
tion, of your perfect contentment, of 
your happy confidence in your future 
fortunes,— for I need not tell you that 
to any one in my situation, smiling 
cornfields, cosy homesteads, the joyful 
faces of prosperous men and women, 
and the laughter of healthy children, 
are the best of all triumphal decora- 
tions. [Great applause.] 

But there are other things for 
which I ought to be obliged to 
you, and not the least for the 
beautiful weather you have taken 
the precaution to provide us with dur- 
ing some six weeks of perpetual 
camping out, for which attention I 
have received Lady DufEerin's special 
orders to render you her personal 
thanks— an attention which the unu- 
sual phenomenon of a casual water- 
spout enabled us only the better to ap- 
preciate ; and lastly, though certainly 
not least, for not having generated 



amongst you that fearful entity, "a 
Pacific Railway question"— at all 
events not in those dire and tragic 
proportions in which I have encoun- 
tered it elsewhere. [Loud applause.] { 
Of course, I know a certain phase of i 
the question is agitating even this | 
community, but it has assumed the j 
mild character of a domestic rather 
than of an inter-Provincial contro- 
versy. Two distinguished members, 
moreover, of my present Government 
have been lately amongst you, andj 
have doubtless acquainted themselves i 
with your views and wishes. It is not j 
necessary, therefore, that 1 should mar i 
the hilarious character of the present 
festival by any untimely allusions to 
so grave a matter. Well then, ladies | 
and gentlemen, what am I to say and do i 
to you in return for all the pleasure 
and satisfaction I have received at 
your hands ? I fear there is very little 
that I can say, and scarcely anything 
that I can do, commensurate with my 
obligations. Stay— there is one thing 
at all events I think I have already 
done, for which I am entitled to claim 
your thanks. You are doubtless 
aware that a great political contro- 
versy has for some time raged between 
the two great parties of the state as to 
which one of them is responsible for j 
the visitation of that terror of two ■ 
continents— the Colorado bug. [Great 
laughter.] The one side is disposed 
to assert that if their opponents had 
never acceded to power, the Colorado 
bug would never have come to Canada. 
[Renewed laughter.] I have reason to 
believe, however, though I know not 
whether any substantial evidence has 
been adduced in support of their asser- 
tion, that my Government deny and 
repudiate having had any sort of con- 
cert or understanding with that irre- 
pressible invader. [Hoars of laughter.] 
It would be highly unconstitutional 
for me, who am bound to hold a per- 
fectly impartial balance between the 
two great factions of the state, to pro- 
nounce an opinion upon this moment- 
ODS question. [Renewed and long-con- 
tinued laughter.] But however dis- 
putable a point may be the prime and 
original authorship of the Colorado 
bug, there is one fact no one will ques 
tion, namely, that to the presence of 
the Governor-General in Manitoba is 
to be attributed the sudden, total, oth- 
erwise unaccountable, and, I trust, per- 
manent disappearance, not only from 
this Province, but from the whole 
Northwest of the infamous and un- 
mentionable "hopper," [loud laughter] 
whose frequent visitations for the last 
few years have proved so distressing 
to the agricultural interests of the en- 
tire region. 
But apart from being the 



fortunate instrument of conferring 
this benefit upon you, I fear the only 
further return in my power is to as- 
sure you of my great sympathy with 
you in your endeavors to do justice to 
thejmaterial advantages with which 
your Province has been so richly en- 
dowed by the hands of Providence. 
[Applause.] From its geographical 
position, and its peculiar character- 
istics, 

MANITOBA 

may be regarded as the keystone 
of that mighty arch of sister 
provinces which spans the entire 
continent from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific. [Loud cheering.] It was 
here that Canada, emerging from her 
woods and forests, first gazed upon her 
rolling prairies and unexplored North- 
west, and learned, as by an unexpected 
revelation, that her historical territor- 
ies of the Canadas, her eastern sea- 
boards of New Brunswick, Labrador, 
Nova Scotia, her Laurentian lakes and 
valleys, comlands and pastures, though 
themselves more extensive than half a 
dozen European Kingdoms, [tremen- 
dous applause] were but the vestibules 
and antechambers to that, till then, 
un-dreamt-of Dominion, whose illim- 
itable dimensions alike confound the 
arithmetic of the surveyor, and the 
verification of the explorer. [Contin- 
ued applause.] It was hence that, 
counting her past achievements as but 
the preface and prelude to her future 
exertions and expanding destinies, she 
took a fresh departure, received the 
afflatus of a more Imperial inspiration, 
and felt herself no longer a mere settler 
along the banks of a single river, but 
the owner of half a continent, and, in 
the amplitude of her possession, in 
the wealth of her resources, in the 
sinews of her material might, the peer 
of any power on the earth. [Great 
cheering.] 

In a recently remarkably witty 
speech the Marquis of Salisbury 
alluded to the 

GE0GKAPH3CAL JUSCONCEPTION 

often engendered by the small- 
ness of the maps upon which the 
figure of the world is depicted. To 
this cause is probably to be attributed 
the inadequate idea entertained by the 
best educated persons of the extent of 
Her Majesty's North American 
possessions. Perhaps the best way of 
correcting such a universal mis- 
apprehension would be by a summary 
of the rivers which flow through 
them, for we know that as a poor man 
cannot afford to live in a big house so 
a small country cannot support a big 
river. [Applause.] Now to an Eng- 
lishman or a Frenchman the Severn 
or the Thames, the Seine or the Rhone, 
would appear considerable strea^i?, 



but in the Ottawa, a mere affluent of 
the St. Lawrence, an affluent, more- 
over, which reaches the parent stream 
six hundred miles from its mouth, we 
have a river four hundred and fifty 
miles long and four times as big as 
any of them ; but even after having 
ascended the St. Lawrence itself to 
Lake Ontario, and pursued its course 
across Lake Huron, the Niagara, the 
St. Clair, and Lake Superior to 
Thunder Bay, a distance of one thou- 
sand five hundred miles, where are 
we ? In the estimation of the person 
who has made the journey, at the end 
of all things, [laughter,] but to us who 
know better, scarcely at the com- 
mencement of the great fluvial 
systems of the Dominion; for from 
that spot, that is to say from Thunder 
Bay, we are able to ship our 
astonished traveller on to the Kam- 
inistiquia, a river some hundred miles 
long. Thence almost in a straight 
line we launch him on the Lake 
Shebandowan and Eainy Lake and 
River— whose proper name bye the bye 
is "Rene," after the man who dis- 
covered it— a magnificent stream three 
hundred yards broad and a couple of 
hundred miles long, down whose 
tranquil bosom he floats into the Lake 
of the Woods, where he finds himself on 
asheet of water which, though diminu- 
tive as compared with the inland seas 
he has left behind him, will probably 
be found sufficiently extensive to 
render him fearfully seasick [loud 
laughter] during his passage across it. 
For the last eighty miles of his 
voyage, however, he will be consoled 
by sailing through a succession of 
land-locked channels, the beauty of 
■whose scenery, while it resembles, 
certainly excels the far-famed Thou- 
sand Islands of ths St. Lawrence. 
[Great applause.] From this lacus- 
trian paradise of sylvan beauty we are 
able at once to transfer our friend to 
the "Winnipeg, a river whose exis^^ence 
in the very heart of the continent is in 
itself one of Nature's most extra- 
ordinary miracles, [applause,] so beau- 
tiful and varied are its rocky banks, 
its tufted islands, so broad, so deep, so 
fervid is the volume of its waters, the 
extent of their lake-like expansions, 
and the tremendous power of their 
rapids. [Loud cheering.] At last let 
us suppose we have landed our 
traveller at the town of Winnipeg, the 
half-way house of the continent, the 
capital of the Prairie Province, and I 
trust the future "umbilicus" of the 
Dominion. [Long continued ap- 
plause.] 

Having had so much of water, having 
now reached the homp of the bufEalo, 
like the extenuated Falstaff, he nat- 
urally "babbles of green fields," 
[laughter and cheers] and careers in 
imagination over the primeval grasses 
of the prairie. Not at all. Escorted 
by Mr. Mayor and his town council we 
take him down to your quay and ask 
him which he will ascend first, the 
Red River or the Assineboine, the one 
five hundred miles long, the other four 
hundred and eighty, which so happily 
mingle their waters within your city 
limits. [Cheering.] After having 
given him a preliminary canter up 
these respective rivers we take him 
off to Lake Winnipeg, an inland sea 
three hundred miles long and upwards 
of sixty broad, during the navigation 
of which, for many a weary hour, he 
will find himself out of sight of land, 
and probably a good deal more sea- 
sick than ever he was on the Atlantic. 
[Loud laughter.] At the northwest 
angle of Lake Winnipeg he hits upon 
the mouth of the Saskatchewan, the 



[32J 

gateway and high road to the North- 
west, and the starting point to another 
fifteen hundred milts of navigable 
water, flowing nearly due east between 
its alluvial banks, [Great applause.] 
Having now reached the Rocky 
Mountains our "ancient mariner," for 
by this time he will be quite entitled 
to such an appellation, [laughter] 
knowing that water cannot run up 
hill, feels certain his aquatic experi- 
ences are concluded. He was never 
more mistaken. [Laughter.] We im- 
mediately launch him upon the Atha- 
baska and Mackenzie rivers, and start 
him on a longer trip than any he has 
yet undertaken, the navigation of the 
Mackenzie river alone exceeding two 
thousand five hundred miles. If he 
survives this last experience [laugh- 
ter] we wind up his peregrinations by 
a concluding voyage of one thousand 
four hundred miles down the Frazer, 
or if he prefers it the Thompson river 
to Victoria, in Vancouver, whence 
having previously provided him with 
a return ticket "for that purpose, he 
will probably prefer getting home via 
the Canadian Pacific. Now in the enu- 
umeration, those who are acquainted 
with the country are aware that for 
the sake of brevity I have omitted 
thousands of miles of other lakes and 
rivers, which water various regions of 
the Northwest, the Qu'Appelle river, 
the Belly river, Lake Manitoba, Lake 
Winnipegoosis, Shoal lake, etc., etc, 
along whose interminable banks I 
might have dragged, and finally exter- 
minated our way worn guest, [laugh- 
ter] but the sketch I have given is 
more than sufficient for my purpose, 
and when it is further remembered 
that the most of these streams flow 
for their entire length through alluvial 
plains of the richest description, 
where year after year wheat can be 
raised without manure, or any sensible 
diminution in its yield, and where the 
soil everywhere presents the appear- 
ance of a hiehly ct.ltivated suburban 
kitchen garden in England, enough- 
has been said to display the agricul 
tural riches of the territories I have 
referred to, and t'ae capabilities they 
possess of affording happy and pros- 
perous homes to millions of the human 
race. [Deafening applause.] 

But in contemplating the vistas thus 
opened to our imagination, we must 
not forget that there ensues a corres- 
ponding expansion of our obligations. 
Pr iastauce, unless greatcareis taken 
we shall find as we move westwards 
that the exigencies of civilization 
may clash injuriously with the 
prejudices and traditional habits of 
our Indian fellow-subjects. [Hear, 
hear.] As long as Canada was in 
the woods, 

THE INDIAN PROBLEM 

was comparatively easy, the progress of 
settlement was slow enough to give 
ample time and opportunity for arriv- 
ing at an amicable and mutually con- 
venient arrangement with each tribe 
with whot>. we successively came into 
contact, but once out upon the plains 
colonization will advance with far 
more rapid and ungovernable strides, 
and it cannot fail eventually to inter- 
fere with the by no means inex- 
haustible supply of buffalo upon 
which so many of the Indian tribes 
are now dependent. Against this 
contingency it will bejour most urgent 
and imperative duty to take timely 
precautions by enabling the red man 
not by any undue pressure, or hasty or 
ill-considered interferences, but by 
precept, example, and suasion, by gifts 
of cattle, and other encouragements, 
to exchange the precarious life of a 



hunter for that of a pastoral and 
eventually that of an agricultural 
people. [Hear, hear and ai>plause.] 
Happily in no part of her Majesty's 
dominions are the relations existing 
between the white settler and the 
original natives and masters of the 
land so well understood or so gener- 
ously and humanely interpreted as 
in Canada, and as a consequence 
instead of being a cause of an anxiety 
and disturbance, the Indian tribes of 
the Dominion are regarded as a valu- 
able adjunct to our strength and 
industry. Wherever I have gone in 
the Province— and since I have been 
here, I have travelled nearly a 
thousand miles within your borders 
— -I have found the Indians upon 
their several reserves, pretermitting a 
few pretty grievances of a local 
character they thought themselves 
justified in preferring, contented and 
satisfied, upon the most friendly 
terms with their white neighbors, and 
implicitly confiding in the good faith 
and paternal solicitude of the Govern- 
ment. [Applause.] 

In some districts I have learnt with 
pleasure that the Sioux, who some 
years since entered our territory 
under such sinister circum- 
stances—I do not of course 
refer to the recent visit of Sitting 
Bull and his people— | laughter] are 
not only perfectly peaceable and well 
behaved but have turned into useful 
and hardworking laborers and 
harvestmen, [hear, hear] while in the 
more distant settlements, the less 
domesticated bands of natives, 
whether as hunters, voyageurs, guideo, 
purveyors of our furs and game, prove 
an appreciably advantageous element 
in the? economical structure of the 
colony. [Applause.] There is no 
doubt that a great deal of the good 
feeling thus subsisting among the red 
men and ourselves is due to the in- 
fluence and interposition of that in- 
valuable class of men the half-breed 
settlers and pioneers of Manitoba 
[tremendous applause] who, com- 
bining as they do the hardihood, the 
endurance and love of enterprise 
generated by the strain of Indian 
blood within their veins, with the 
civilization, the instruction, and the 
intellectual power derived from their 
fathers have preached the gospel of 
peace and good will, and mutual 
respect, with equally beneficent 
results, to the Indian chieftain in his 
lodge, and the British settler in his 
shanty. [Renewed applause.] They 
have been the embassadors between 
the East and the West, the inter- 
preters of civilization, and its exigen- 
cies, t'' the dwellers on the prairie, as 
well as the exponents to the white 
man of the consideration justly due to 
the susceptibilities, the sensitive self- 
respect, the prejudices, the innate crav- 
ing for justice of the Indian race. 
[Continued appla-.:se.] In fact, they 
Have done for the colony what other- 
wise would have been left un- 
accomplished, and have introduced 
between the white population and 
the red man a traditional feeling of 
amity and friendships, which, but for 
them, it inight have been impossible 
to establish. [Cheers.] 

Nor can I pass by the humane, 
kindly, and considerate atten- 
tion, which has ever dis- 
tinguished the Hudson Bay Com- 
pany in its dealings with the native 
population. [Applause.] But though 
ijiving credit to these fortunate influ- 
ences amongst the causes which are 
conducing to produce and prfeserve 
this happy result, the place of honor 



nnist be adjudged to that honorable 
and generous policy which has been 
pursued by successive Governments of 
Canada towards the Indian, which at 
this moment is being superintended 
and carried out with so much tact, dis- 
cre.ion and ability by your present 
Lieutenant-Governor, [cheers] under 
which the extinction of the Indian 
title upon liberal terms has invaria- 
bly been recognized as a necessary pre- 
liminary to the occupation of a single 
square yard of native territory. But 
our friends and neighbors are by no 
means the only alien communities in 
Manitoba which demand the solicitude 
of the Government and excite our 
sympathy and curiosity. In close 
proximity to Winnipeg, two other 
commuDities, the 

MENNONITES AND ICELANDERS, 

Starting from opposite ends of 
Europe, without either concert or 
communication, have sought fresh 
homes within our territory, the one of 
Rassian extraction, though German 
race, moved by a desire to escape from 
the obligations of law which was re- 
pulsive to their conscience, the other 
bred amid the snows and ashes of an 
Arctic volcano, by the hops of better- 
ing their material condition. Al- 
though I have witnessed many sights 
to cause me pleasure during my 
various progresses through the Do- 
minion, seldom have I beheld any 
spectacle more pregnant with proph- 
ecy, more fraught with promise of an 
astonishing future than the Mennonite 
settlement. [Great applause.] When 
I visited these interesting people they 
had only been two years in the 
Province, and yet in a long ride I took 
across the prairie, which but yester- 
day was absolutely bare, desolate and 
untenanted, the home of the wolf, the 
badger and the eagle, I passed village 
alter village, homestead after home- 
s'eaa, furnished with all the conveni- 
ences and incidents of European com- 
fort, and a scientific agriculture, while 
on either side the road cornfields al- 
leady ripe for harvest, and pastures 
populous with herds of cattle, 
stretched away to the horizon. [Great 
cheering.] 

Even on this continent, the pecu- 
liar theatre of rapid change and 
progress, there has nowhere, I im- 
agine, taken place so marvelous a 
transformation, [renewed cbeers] and 
yet when in your name and in the 
name of the Queen of England I bade 
these people welcome to their new 
homes, it was not the improvement in 
their material fortunes that pre-oceu- 
pied my thoughts. Glad as I was of 
having the power of applotting them 
30 ample a portion of our teeming soil, 
which seems to blossom at a touch, 
[continued applause] and which they 
were cultivating to such manifest ad- 
vantage, I felt infinitely prouder in be- 
ing abla to throw over them the segis 
of the British constitution [loud cheer- 
ing], and in bidding them freely share 
witn us our unrivaled political insti- 
tutions, our untrammeled p'^rsonal 
liberty. [Renewed cheers. AVe our- 
selves are so accustomed to breathe 
the atmosphere of freedom that it 
scarcely occurs to us to consider or 
appreciate our advantages in this re- 
spect. It is only when we are remind- 
ed by such inidents as that to which 
I refer, of the small extent of the 
■Vt orld's surface over which the princi- 
ples of parliamentary government can 
be said to work smoothly and harmon- 
iously, that we are led to consider the 
exceptional happiness of our position. 
[Hear, hear.] Nor was my visit to the 



■ [33] 

Icslandie community less satisfactory 
than that to our Menonnite fellow- 
subjscts. From accidental circum- 
stances I have been long led to take 
an interest in the history and 
literature of the Scandinavian race, 
and the kindness I once experienced 
at the hands of the Icelandic people in 
their own island induced me to take a 
deep interest in the welfare of this new 
immigration. [Applause.] When we 
take into account the secluded position 
of the Icelandic nation for the last 
thousand years, the unfavorable con- 
ditions of their climatic and geograph- 
ical situation, it would be unreason- 
able to eypect t>-at a colony from 
thence should exhibit the same apti- 
tude for agricultural enterprise and 
settlement as would be possessed by a 
people fresh from intimate contact 
with the higher civilization of Europe. 
In Iceland there are neither trees nor 
cornfields, nor highways. Ton cannot 
therefore expect an Icelander to exhi- 
bit an inspired proficiency in felling 
trees, ploughing land, or making roads, 
yet unfortunately these are tee three 
acomplishments most necessary to a 
colonist m Canada. But though start- 
ing at a disadvantage in these respects 
you must not underate the capacity 
of your new fellow countrymen. 
They are endowed with a great deal of 
intellectual ability, and a quick intelli- 
igence. They are well educated. I 
scarcely entered a hovel at Gimili 
which did not possess a library. They 
are well conducted, religious and peac- 
able. Above all tilings they are do- 
cile and anxious to learn. [Applause] 
Nor, considering the difficulty that 
prevails in this country in procuring 
women servants, will the acces- 
sion of some hundreds of bright, 
good-humored, though perhaps awk- 
ward, yet willing, Icelandic girls, anx- 
ious for employment, be found a dis- 
advantage by the resident ladies of 
the country. [Hear, hear]. Should 
the dispersion of these young ladies 
lead in course of time to the forma- 
tion of more temperate and tenderer 
ties than those of mere neighborhood 
between the Canadian and the Ice 
landic colony, I am safe in predicting 
that it will not prove a matter of re- 
gret on the one side or the other. 
[Laughter and applause.] And, gen- 
tlemen, in reference to this point, I 
cannot help remarking with satisfac- 
tion the extent to which a commun- 
ity of interests, the sense of being en- 
gaged in a common undertaking, the 
obvious degree in which the prosper- 
ity of any one man is a gain to his 
neighbors, has amalgamated the var- 
ious sections of the population of this 
Province, originally so diverse in race, 
origin and religion, into a patriotic, 
closely welded and united whole. [ Ap 
plause and cheering.] In no part of 
Canada have I found a better feeling 
between all classes and sections of the 
commiinity. [Cheers.] It is in a 
great measure owing to this wide 
spread sentiment of brotherhooi that 
on a recent occasion great troubles 
have bee 1 averted, while at the pres- 
ent moment it is finding its crowning 
and most triumphant expression in 
the establishment of a universitv un- 
der conditions which have been found 
impossible of application in any other 
Pi-ovince of Canada— I may say in anv 
other country in the world— for no"- 
whereelse, either in Europe or on this 
continent, as far as I am aware, have 
the bishops and heads of the various 
religious communities into which the 
Christian world is so unhappily divid- 
ed, combined to erect an alma mater 
to which all the denominational col- 



leges of the Province are to be afflilia- 
ed [great applause,] and whose stat- 
utes and degrees are to be regulated and 
dispensed under the joint auspices of a 
government body, in which all the 
land will be represented. An acheive- 
mentofthis kind speaks volumes in 
favor of wisdom, liberality, and the 
Christain charity of these devoted 
men by whom in this distant land, the 
consciences of the population 
are led and enlightened; long 
may they be spared to see 
the effects of their exertions 
and magnanimous sacrifices in the 
good conduct and grateful devotion of 
their respective fljcks. [Loud 
applause.] 

Nor, I am happy to think, is this 
good fellowship upon which I have 
30 much cause to congratulate 
you, confined either within the lim- 
its of the Province or those of 
the Dominion. Nothing struck me 
more on my way through St. Paul, in 

THE TTNITED STATES, 

than the sympathetic manner in 
which the inhabitants of that 
flourishing city alluded to the pro- 
gress and prospects of Canada and 
the northwest [great applause] and on 
arriving here 1 was equally struck by 
finding even a more exuberant counter- 
part of those friendly sentiments. 
[Renewed applause.] The reason is 
not far to seek. Quite independently 
of the genial intercourse promoted by 
neighborhood, and the intergrowth of 
commercial relations, a bond of sym- 
pathy between the two populations is 
created by the consciousness that they 
are both engaged in an enterprise of 
world-wide importance, that they are 
both organized corps in the ranks of 
humanity, and the wings of a great 
army, marching in line on a level 
front, that they are both engaged in 
advancing the standard of civilization 
westwards [applause], that for many 
a year to come they will be associated 
in the task of converting the breadths 
of prairie that stretch between them 
and the setting sun into one vast 
paradise of interna' ional peace, of 
domestic happiness, and material 
plenty. Between two communities 
thus occupied it is impossible but that 
amity and loving kindness should be 
begotten. [Applause.] 

Bat perhaps it will be asked how 
can I, who am the natural and 
official guardian of Canada's virtue, 
mark with satisfaction such 
dangerously sentimental proclivices 
towards her seductive neighbor! 
I will reply by appealing to 
those experienced matrons and 
chaperones I see around me- They 
will tell you that when a young lady 
expresses her frank admiration for a 
man, when she welcomes his approach 
with unconstrained pleasure, crosses 
the room to sit down beside him, 
presses him to join her picnic, praises 
him to her friends, there is not the 
slightest fear of her affections having 
been surreptitiously entrapped by the 
gay deceiver. [Great laughter.] On 
the contrary, in is when she can 
scarcely be brought to mention his 
name— [renewed laughter]— when she 
avoids his society, when she alludes to 
him with malice and disparagement, 
that real danger is to be apprehended. 
[Uproarious laughter and applause-] 
No, no! Canada both loves and 
admires the United Spates, but it is 
with the friendly, frank afliction 
which a heart-whole maiden feels for 
some big, boisterous, young cousin, 
fresh from school, and elate with 
animal spirits and good nature. 



[Laughter.] She knows he is stronger 
and moi-o muscular than herself, has 
lots of pocket money, can smoke cigars 
and loaf around in public places in an 
ostentatious manner forbidden to the 
decorum of her own situation. [Great 
laughter.] She admires him for his 
biguess and strength, and prosperity, 
she likes to hear of his punching the 
heads of other boys [renewed laughter], 
she anticipates and will be proud of 
his future success in life, she loves 
him for his affectionate and loyal 
friendship for herself, and perhaps a j 
little laughs at him for the patronizing I 
air with which he expresses it. 
[vo rs of laughter]. 

But of no nearer connection does i 
she dream, nor does his bulky 
image for a moment disturb I 
her virginal meditations. In a j 
world apart, secluded from all; 
extraneous influences, nestling at 
the feet of her majestic mother, Can- 
ada, dreams her dream, and forbodes ! 
her destiny— a dream of ever-bloom- j 
ing harvests, multiplying towns and i 



, [^ 

villages, and expanding pastures; of 
constitutional self-government, and a 
confederated empire; of page after 
page of honorable history, added as 
her contribution to the annals of the 
mother country, and to the glories of 
the British race [tremendous ap- 
plause,] of a perpetuation for all time 
upon this continent of that temperate 
and well-balanced system of monarch- 
ical government, which combines in 
one mighty whole as the eternal pos- 
session of all Englishmen, the brilliant 
history and traditions of the past, with 
the freest and most untrammelled lib- 
erty of action in the future. [Long 
continued applause and cheers.] La- 
dies and gentlemen, I have now done. 
I have to thank you for the patience 
with which you have listened to me, 
and once again for the many kindness- 
es you have done Lady DufEerin and 
myself during our stay amongst you. 
Most heartily do I congratulate you 
upon all that you are doing, and upon 
the glorious prospect of prosperity 
which is opening out on every side of 



you. [A.pplause.] Though elsewhere 
in the Dominion stagnation of trade 
and commerce has checked for a year 
or two the general advance of Canada, 
here at least you have escaped the ef- 
fects of such sinister incidents, for 
your welfare being based upon the 
most solid of all foundations, the cul- 
tivation of the soil, you are in a po- 
sition to pursue the even tenor of your 
way untroubled by those alterations 
of fortune which disturb the world of 
trade and manufacture. You have 
been blessed with an abundant harvest 
and soon I trust will a railway come 
to carry to those who need it the sur- 
plus of your produce, now, as my own 
eyes have witnessed— imprisoned in 
your storehouses for want of the 
means of transport. May the expand- 
ing finances of the country soon place 
the Government in a position to grat- 
ify your just and natural expectations. 
[Loud cheers and applause.] 



IBRflRY OF CONGRESS 



iite^^^^^^^^^^^^ 




